World Cup officiating row erupts as Egypt accuse referees of favouring Argentina

Egypt have launched a scathing attack on the officiating in their dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, with coach Hossam Hassan and forward Mostafa Ziko alleging that controversial refereeing decisions helped keep the defending champions in the tournament.

The North Africans appeared on course for one of the biggest upsets of the competition after racing into a 2-0 lead against Lionel Messi’s Argentina. However, the reigning champions staged a remarkable comeback to snatch victory, setting up a quarter-final clash with Switzerland.

The result, however, was overshadowed by fierce protests from the Egyptian camp over a series of contentious decisions by French referee François Letexier and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

Egypt’s frustration centred on a disallowed goal by Mostafa Ziko when his side led 1-0, as well as what they believed was a clear penalty after Mohamed Salah was challenged in the build-up to Enzo Fernández’s stoppage-time winner for Argentina.

The decisions sparked furious reactions from the Egyptian bench, with Hassan accusing match officials of denying his side a deserved place in the quarter-finals.

“We haven’t seen respect or fair play,” Hassan said after the match.

“A penalty was ruled out and another incident that should have been checked for a penalty for us was not even reviewed by VAR. Our second goal was remarkably disallowed for reasons we still don’t understand.

“There seemed to have been pressure from the Argentine side on the referee that influenced the outcome.”

The Egyptian coach questioned the integrity of the tournament, suggesting commercial interests may have influenced the result.

“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running,” Hassan said in an interview with beIN Sports.

“In football, there are sometimes external factors that go beyond technical matters. The world champions benefited from support at every level.

“I told the referee what was happening was unfair. It’s an undeserved victory for Argentina. Once I return home, I will never watch the World Cup again because there’s no justice in this competition.”

Hassan also criticised tournament organisers for scheduling the match at 12 noon Eastern Time, arguing that the timing was unsuitable despite the air-conditioned conditions inside Atlanta Stadium.

“Whoever schedules these matches has never played football. You don’t schedule a football match at 12 noon,” he said.

Forward Mostafa Ziko echoed his coach’s sentiments, apologising to Egyptian fans while blaming the officiating for the heartbreaking defeat.

“It was not fair from the referee. It was really not fair,” Ziko said through a translator.

“He wasted all of our efforts with his decisions. We were leading 2-0 and we could do nothing. It’s all up to God.

“We are so sorry to the people of Egypt. We wanted to make you happy. It was not in the cards. It was the referee. The cup is directed towards Argentina.”

In an even stronger post-match reaction, Ziko declared: “Congratulations to Argentina for the World Cup. The tournament was rigged. They didn’t need anything else. The referee was unfair, unfair, unfair.”

Despite Egypt’s protests, Argentina completed their stunning comeback to book a place in the last eight, where they will face Switzerland.

Switzerland eliminates Colombia 

Meanwhile, Switzerland reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1954 after edging Colombia on penalties following a tense goalless draw that stretched through 120 minutes.

The Swiss prevailed in the shootout after Gregor Kobel saved one penalty and Colombia missed two others, sealing a historic victory that sets up a heavyweight clash against Argentina in Kansas City.

“I think I need another couple of hours or days to process what just happened,” Switzerland coach Murat Yakin said after the match.

“This is a dream.”

Yakin described the encounter as a tactical battle that unfolded largely according to plan, although he admitted the late withdrawal of injured leading scorer Johan Manzambi disrupted his preparations.

“I want to see our best player on the pitch,” he said, declining to speculate on when the forward might return.

Colombia created several opportunities but failed to convert them, with Jaminton Campaz wasting a glorious chance in the closing stages of extra time after firing over from close range.

Coach Néstor Lorenzo insisted his players deserved more from the contest.

“We were aware that this was going to be a tactical, tight match,” Lorenzo said. “Of course, we should have scored a goal.”

Colombia were also left aggrieved after appeals for a penalty early in extra time were waved away, while Jhon Lucumí struck the crossbar with a powerful header before the contest went to penalties.

Swiss goalkeeper Kobel emerged as the hero during the shootout, producing the decisive save to send his side into the quarter-finals.

“He is arguably one of the best goalkeepers in the world,” Yakin said. “We are so happy that he was able to help us out today.”

Lorenzo defended his players despite the painful elimination.

“They’re amazing players; there’s nothing to reproach,” he said. “The fact of the matter is that sometimes you score, sometimes you don’t.”