The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has lodged a formal complaint with FIFA, calling for an investigation into the officiating team that handled the Pharaohs’ controversial 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the EFA said its president, Hany Aburida, requested FIFA to investigate French referee François Letexier and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) officials over what it described as “serious refereeing mistakes” and double standards that contributed to Egypt’s elimination from the tournament.
The federation argued that the officiating decisions denied Egypt a place in the quarter-finals.
During Tuesday’s match, Mostafa Ziko had a first-half goal disallowed after VAR detected a foul on Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez earlier in the build-up. Ziko later restored Egypt’s advantage, putting the North Africans 2-0 ahead and within reach of a historic last-eight appearance.
However, Argentina mounted a dramatic comeback through Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi before Enzo Fernández scored the decisive winner.
Egypt also disputed the build-up to Argentina’s winning goal, insisting they should have been awarded a penalty after Alexis Mac Allister allegedly pulled Hamdy Fathy inside the penalty area.
The EFA said it had asked FIFA to investigate the entire officiating crew, including the VAR officials, for allegedly failing to review incidents that could have benefited Egypt.
The federation further demanded that the referee and his assistants be removed from the remainder of the World Cup if the investigation confirms the alleged errors.
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan had also criticised the officiating after the match, claiming his side had been unfairly treated.
“We have been cheated unfairly today,” Hassan said, adding that there was no respect or fair play in the handling of key decisions.
He also suggested that external factors may have influenced the outcome, alleging that the defending champions received favourable treatment to remain in the competition.
