Egypt Demand FIFA Probe Into Referees After World Cup Loss To Argentina

The Egyptian Football Federation (EFA) has called on FIFA to investigate the officiating of Egypt’s controversial FIFA World Cup Round of 16 defeat to Argentina and remove the match officials from the remainder of the tournament.

In a formal complaint submitted to world football’s governing body, the EFA accused the refereeing team of applying “double standards” during Tuesday’s dramatic 3-2 defeat, arguing that key decisions influenced the outcome and contributed to Egypt’s elimination.

The federation’s complaint centres on a second-half VAR decision that disallowed a goal by Mostafa Zico, which would have extended Egypt’s lead. The goal was ruled out after video review determined that midfielder Marwan Attia had fouled Lisandro Martínez earlier in the attacking move by stepping on the defender’s foot.

Egypt also claimed captain Mohamed Salah was denied a clear penalty shortly before Argentina launched the counterattack that produced the winning goal.

In a statement, the federation said its president, Hany Abou Rida, had formally petitioned FIFA over the performance of French referee François Letexier.

“Hany Abou Rida, president of the Egyptian Football Federation, filed a complaint with FIFA demanding an investigation into French referee François Letexier following the serious refereeing mistakes committed by the officiating team and the double standards that caused the Egypt team to lose the match and exit the World Cup,” the statement read.

The EFA also urged FIFA to remove the officiating team from further matches at the tournament while awaiting the outcome of its complaint.