Lead
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has lodged a formal complaint with FIFA over the officiating during Egypt's dramatic 3-2 defeat to defending champions Argentina in the World Cup last-16. Egypt led 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining before Argentina, captained by Lionel Messi, mounted a comeback to win at the Atlanta Stadium.
In a statement, the EFA said it could not remain silent about what it considered unfair and biased decisions. "Defending the rights and interests of the Egyptian national team is not a matter that can be ignored, minimised, or treated as secondary," the statement read, according to RFI. "It is a responsibility that we carry with full conviction and determination."
Coverage comparison
Two news outlets have covered the story. ABC Australia framed the events around what it described as an "all-time blow-up" from Egypt coach Hossam Hassan, focusing on his explosive press conference remarks. RFI placed greater emphasis on the formal complaint lodged with FIFA and the EFA's detailed statement.
Both outlets reported that Egypt's coach and several players complained about the referees. ABC noted that Hassan held his arms in an "X" shape toward the end of the match to signal racial abuse, though the full context of that gesture was not fully detailed in the available reports.
RFI reported that the EFA said the referee failed to use the video assistant referee (VAR) system appropriately, leading to the loss. ABC's coverage focused on the specific incidents that prompted the complaints.
Key claims
- Egypt lodged a formal complaint with FIFA over the officiating, as reported by RFI and confirmed in the EFA statement.
- Egypt led 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining but lost 3-2 to Argentina, a fact reported by both outlets.
- Egypt had a goal disallowed in the 58th minute after a VAR review determined that Marwan Attia fouled Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez before Mostafa Zaki Abdelraouf scored, as reported by RFI.
- Mohamed Salah was not awarded a penalty before Argentina's winner, though ABC noted replays showed he had been "dispossessed cleanly."
- Coach Hossam Hassan and several players complained about the referees, according to both outlets.
- Hassan said he would not watch any more World Cup matches in protest, a remark carried by ABC and RFI.
Reactions from Egypt camp
Hossam Hassan was unequivocal in his criticism. "I'm going home and won't be watching any more games from the tournament," he told a press conference, as quoted by ABC. "What happened to us wasn't fair. We should have had a penalty, a goal was disallowed, and I don't know why it was disallowed."
He added: "We have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice. We looked better compared to the reigning champions. We were better in everything, but the result, the outcome, was influenced by internal factors on the pitch, inside the game, and external factors ahead of the game."
Hassan also suggested there was pressure on the referee from the Argentine side. "There seemed to have been pressure exercised from the Argentinian side on the referee that had brought about this outcome," he said, according to ABC.
Egyptian striker Mostafa Zico was even more blunt, telling reporters: "It's clear this tournament has been fixed," as cited by ABC.
The EFA statement, as reported by RFI, said the referee failed to use the VAR system appropriately. "Several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game," the statement said.
Other World Cup developments
ABC also reported on Belgium's 4-1 win over the United States, noting that the fallout from that match continued on the day of Egypt's complaints. Additionally, ABC mentioned that FIFA is investigating an incident involving streamer and YouTuber IShowSpeed with a fan in the stands during a World Cup match between Argentina and Cape Verde.