After Argentina’s big comeback to win the match 3-2, the Egyptian Football Association reportedly filed a formal complaint with FIFA questioning the officiating. Egyptian Football Association president Hany Abo Rida has reportedly filed an official complaint to FIFA against French referee François Letexier and his assistants, following Egypt’s 3-2 Round of 16 elimination against Argentina.
The complaint stems from a string of contentious officiating decisions throughout the match, which the Egyptian federation believes went against them at key moments.
Among the grievances, Egypt points to their second goal being disallowed after a VAR review flagged a foul on Lisandro Martinez in the buildup, wiping out what would have made it 2-0. The federation’s complaint also references a penalty claim for a foul on Mohamed Salah, moments before Enzo Fernandez’s header put Argentina up 3-2.
After Argentina‘s third goal completed an impressive 10-minute comeback, Egypt’s bench erupted at the referee, who showed a yellow card to head coach Hossam Hassan and sent off one of his staff members.
Hossam Hassan, Head Coach of Egypt, argues with referee Francois Letexier. (Getty Images)
Egypt coach sounds off after elimination
Head coach Hossam Hassan was similarly critical in his post-match comments, directing his frustration squarely at the officiating rather than the result itself. “I’m going to say what I think regardless of the consequences, because I don’t care anymore. Clearly, the match was fixed, and everyone saw it,” Hassan said.
“And I want to say something else — if they wanted Argentina to win so badly, why bother inviting everyone to compete? We were the better team on the day, but soccer is unfair. We had a penalty claim, and the referee disallowed our third goal, and I don’t know why,” he added.
Hassan was also shown crossing his arms multiple times during the match while protesting Letexier’s decisions — a gesture that resembles FIFA’s anti-racism protocol signal, sparking confusion on social media.
pic.twitter.com/RKe8jfhfER— clever (@ahmeddey4u) July 7, 2026
Egyptian players and staff were seen trying to get him to stop mid-protest, and Letexier ultimately did not treat it as an anti-racism complaint.