Egypt Petitions FIFA Over Officiating in World Cup Loss to Argentina

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has lodged an official complaint with FIFA over what it described as biased officiating during Egypt’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

In a statement issued after the match, EFA President Hany Abo Rida accused French referee François Letexier and his officiating team of applying “discriminatory” standards that contributed to Egypt’s elimination from the tournament.

Egypt appeared to be on course for a historic victory after taking a two-goal lead, but suffered a late collapse as Argentina scored three times in the final 13 minutes. Goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernández completed a remarkable comeback for the South American champions.

The Egyptian federation’s petition focused on two controversial incidents. The first involved the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) overturning Mostafa Ziko’s goal in the 59th minute due to a foul in the build-up. The EFA argued that a similar infringement was ignored in the build-up to Fernández’s stoppage-time winner.

The second concerned a penalty appeal after Mohamed Salah was allegedly fouled moments before Argentina’s decisive goal. According to the federation, the VAR officials failed to properly review the incident.

“The French referee’s fatal mistakes and double standards caused Egypt’s defeat and World Cup elimination,” Abo Rida said.

The EFA has called on FIFA to investigate the referee, his assistants and the VAR officials, urging the governing body to suspend the match officials from the remainder of the tournament if they are found guilty of misconduct.