Egypt’s football authorities have turned their World Cup exit into a formal dispute with Fifa, accusing referee Francois Letexier and his officiating team of biased decisions they say cost the Pharaohs a place in the quarter-finals against Argentina.
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) confirmed it had lodged an official complaint with Fifa, calling for an investigation and demanding that Letexier and his entire officiating team be removed from the rest of the tournament. The federation says its concerns extend beyond a single decision, pointing instead to what it described as a pattern of inconsistent officiating during the Round of 16 clash in Atlanta.
Egypt looked set for a famous victory after opening a two-goal lead before Argentina mounted a dramatic comeback in the final 15 minutes. Captain Lionel Messi set up Argentina’s first goal before scoring the equaliser himself. Egypt’s anger centred on two key incidents: a Mostafa Zico goal ruled out after VAR penalised midfielder Marwan Attia for stepping on Lisandro Martinez earlier in the move, and a penalty appeal involving Mohamed Salah that was not reviewed shortly before Argentina’s stoppage-time winner secured a 3-2 victory.
The EFA argues the foul used to overturn Zico’s goal occurred far from where the attacking move began and should not have fallen within VAR’s review. The federation also said it had objected to Letexier’s appointment before kick-off, a claim that has intensified its accusations of unfair treatment. It also highlighted the disciplinary record from the match. Egypt received five yellow cards and had a member of its coaching staff sent off, while Argentina finished without a single booking. Letexier, who officiated May’s UEFA Europa League final, is regarded as one of Fifa’s leading referees, making the alleged mistakes even harder to accept, the EFA argued.
In a statement, EFA president Hany Abou Rida said: “Hany Abou Rida, president of the Egyptian football federation, filed a complaint with Fifa, demanding an investigation into the French referee Francois Letexier after the serious refereeing mistakes committed by the team of referees and double standards, which caused the Egypt team to lose the match and leave the World Cup.”
The statement also alleged “the crime of discrimination against the Egyptian national team” and accused officials of making “blatant errors and insisting on not reviewing some of the footage.” It added that the federation had demanded the referee and his entire crew be removed from the tournament after an investigation.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan also questioned the officiating, suggesting Fifa wanted the defending champions to remain in the competition.
“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running,” he said, adding that Egypt had been “treated unfairly” and had “suffered injustice.”
Zico, whose disallowed goal became the match’s defining moment, was equally critical.
“The referee was really unfair. The injustice was clear. There’s been an unfairness right from the start of the match. It is clear that this tournament has been fixed.”
The defeat extends Egypt’s long wait for a first World Cup quarter-final appearance. Argentina, meanwhile, remain on course to defend their title and will face Switzerland in the quarter-finals in Kansas City on Saturday.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah