Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan has criticised French referee François Letexier after Egypt were knocked out of the 2026 World Cup by Argentina, claiming the team suffered an “unjust defeat” because of efforts to keep Lionel Messi and the defending champions in the tournament, Anadolu reports.
Speaking at a press conference after Egypt’s 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the round of 16 on Tuesday, Hassan said the match lacked refereeing fairness and suggested that Argentina had received support for “marketing” reasons.
“We suffered an unjust defeat,” Hassan said. “There is support from every side for the world champions — marketing support. They want the previous World Cup champions to remain in the tournament. They want Messi to stay.”
Hassan said Egypt lost for “marketing” reasons, arguing that the match was not handled fairly by the referee.
Egypt forward Mostafa Ziko also criticised the officiating after the match, saying in televised remarks while in tears that the referee had “wasted the effort of an entire country”.
“From the start of the match, he was biased against us,” Ziko said. “He did not want us to leave as winners against Argentina. God is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs. The tournament is directed.”
Ziko apologised to Egyptian fans, saying the team had wanted to make them happy, before adding: “The tournament is basically directed. Congratulations to Argentina on the World Cup.”
Egypt had been 11 minutes away from reaching the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history after taking a 2-0 lead against Argentina.
But Argentina, the defending world champions, staged a late comeback, with Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernández scoring in the 79th, 83rd and stoppage-time minutes to secure a 3-2 win.
The match was played at Atlanta Stadium in the US state of Georgia. Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko scored Egypt’s goals in the 15th and 67th minutes.
Letexier’s decisions sparked anger inside the Egyptian camp, with players and staff complaining that Egyptian players were booked easily, while Argentina’s challenges were treated more leniently.
Egypt’s frustration grew after Argentina’s third goal, which came in stoppage time. The move began after Egypt appealed for a penalty inside Argentina’s box, claiming Mohamed Salah had been stepped on and Omar Marmoush had been pulled by the shirt as he tried to move towards goal.
Argentina’s win secured their place in the quarter-finals for the second consecutive World Cup.
They will face the winner of Switzerland and Colombia on Sunday, 12 July, at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada.
