Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan launched a rare attack on match officials after his side’s disappointing 3-2 defeat against Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16, saying the Pharaohs were “treated unfairly” and suggesting there were outside influences aimed at keeping Lionel Messi and the defending champions in the tournament. Egypt appeared on course for one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history after opening a two-goal lead over Atlanta, only for Argentina to score three times in the closing stages through Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernández to book a place in the quarter-finals. Hassan, however, insists that the competition triggered a series of controversial management decisions rather than incidents on the pitch alone.
Hassan admitted that Egypt suffered an ‘injustice’ against Argentina
Speaking after the match, Hassan argued that Egypt had outplayed the reigning world champions and said several key refereeing decisions prevented his team from reaching the quarter-finals. “We looked better than the reigning champions, better in everything, but the result was influenced by internal factors on the pitch and external factors,” Hassan told reporters. “Maybe they want to keep the world champion in the competition. Maybe they want to keep Messi in the running. “In football, sometimes there are external factors that go beyond the technical aspects. The world champion receives support at every level.” The Egypt coach repeatedly returned to officiating during his press conference, insisting that his players did not receive the respect they deserved. “We don’t see respect or fair play,” he said. “A penalty was rejected. It wasn’t even reviewed by VAR, and our second goal was, for whatever reason, disallowed. “I want to put it in beautiful words and say, ‘It’s hard,’ but we’re being treated unfairly and it’s an injustice.” He was equally vocal while talking to the media afterwards. “I don’t want to put it nicely and talk about hardship. We are being cheated unfairly today; we are suffering injustice.”
Disallowed goal, penalty appeals and referee appointment spark Egypt frustration
Egypt’s anger centered on several major incidents that occurred during the match. Mostafa Zico thought he had extended Egypt’s advantage as they went 1-0 up, only to have the goal disallowed after a VAR review identified a foul on Lisandro Martínez early in the attack. Zico later scored to restore Egypt’s two-goal lead before Argentina staged a dramatic comeback, but controversy continued after Enzo Fernández scored in stoppage time. The Egyptians believed they should have been handed a penalty after Alexis Mac Allister appeared to pull Hamdy Fathy’s shirt during the build-up, with Hassan questioning why the incident was never investigated. “There is no respect or fair play,” Hassan said. “A penalty was disallowed, it wasn’t even checked by VAR. The second goal was incredibly disallowed. There wasn’t even a VAR check when we all saw the image of the shirt being pulled back.”
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan argues with referee Francois Letexier, of France, during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Argentina and Egypt in Atlanta, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)
The Egypt boss also questioned FIFA’s appointment of French referee François Letexier for the fixture, saying his federation had raised concerns before kickoff over France’s feud with Argentina after the 2022 World Cup final. “There seems to be pressure from the Argentine side in this result,” Hassan said. “We opposed the choice of referee because of the situation in France, but everyone has to suffer at some point, and we suffered.” After the final whistle, Hassan was involved in a heated verbal exchange with Letexier and later revealed what he had said to the official. “What I said to the referee was, ‘It’s not fair,'” Hassan explained. “I said that maybe he has a scar or is hiding something. “When someone tries to hide something, they always fail to hide it.”
Mostafa Zico echoed the concerns while Hassan criticized the scheduling
Goalscorer Mostafa Zico admitted it was painful to see Egypt’s advantage disappear after taking a 2-0 lead and also questioned many of the referee’s decisions. “Hard luck. The game was in our hands and we lost at the last moment,” said Zico. “Strange things happen on the pitch. “We’re struggling now, and everyone sees that. I’m not going to talk about something like this. We won 2-0. After the 2-0 result, everything was against us and working against us. I don’t know why the second goal was disallowed, I don’t see any reason for it. “But we must find a solution so that the second goal does not come. He also wants to not allow the third, but thank God, God did not give him success.”
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan, left, before the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Argentina and Egypt in Atlanta, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)
Hassan also expressed frustration with the scheduling of the game, questioning why both teams were asked to play a noon kickoff four days after their Round of 32 victories. “Whoever schedules the games has never played football,” he said. “You don’t schedule a game for 12pm. At noon you go for a walk or eat brunch; you don’t play football. “When should the players eat? At 7:30am? “There are many things to ask on and off the pitch.” Despite his anger at the officiating, Hassan praised the commitment shown by his squad, stressing that most of his players compete domestically rather than in Europe’s top leagues. “I’m very satisfied with the effort they put in,” he said. “Most of our players are from the Egyptian domestic league, while many players of other national teams are based in Europe and live in that professional environment. “But with most of the local players, apart from Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, we were able to compete with anyone.” The emotional loss also left Hassan questioning whether he wanted to continue watching the rest of the tournament. “I will not continue to follow World Cup matches,” he said. “This is my own way of speaking.”