Does FIFA favor Argentina? Egypt coach’s manipulated charge from the World Cup divides opinion

Egypt’s dramatic 3-2 defeat by Argentina in the last 16 of the World Cup sparked a fierce debate over refereeing standards and VAR after coach Hossam Hassan claimed his side had been “cheated” and claimed the tournament was tilted in favor of the defending champions.

Hassan launched a sharp attack on the officials after Egypt squandered a two-goal lead in the closing stages in Atlanta, he described the match as “clearly rigged” and suggested that outside forces had influenced the outcome.

“I don’t want to say it nicely and talk about bad luck. We were unfairly cheated today, we suffered an injustice,” Hassan said at the post-match press conference.

“I will speak my mind regardless of the consequences. This was clearly a rigged match and the whole world saw it.

“And I want to say one more thing. If they want Argentina to win so badly, why call everyone to come and participate?”

Hassan repeated the allegations in a separate interview with BeIN Sports, claiming the officials had arrived under pressure to keep Lionel Messi and reigning champions live in the tournament.

“Maybe they wanted to keep the world champions in the competition. Maybe they wanted Messi to stay in the game,” Hassan said.

“In football, sometimes there are external factors that go beyond the technical aspects. The world champions received support at all levels.”

He also criticized FIFA for scheduling the match and questioned why both teams were asked to play at noon just four days after their Round of 32 victory.

“Whoever plans those games has never played football. You never plan a game for 12:00. You go for a walk or brunch at noon, you don’t go play football,” he said.

“When are the players supposed to eat? At 7:30?”

“There were a lot of things to question on and off the pitch.

The comments came after a dramatic Round of 16 contest in Atlanta. Egypt are playing their first World Cup knockout match in their history, stunned Argentina by taking a 2-0 lead via Jásir Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico.

Cristian Romero pulled one back in the 79th minute before Lionel Messi equalized four minutes later. Enzo Fernandez then completed the comeback with an injury time winner to send Argentina into the quarter-finals.

EGYPTIAN SMOKE BEFORE VARIOUS DECISIONS

While Argentina celebrated another memorable comeback, Egypt left believing they had been denied a series of controversial refereeing decisions.

Mostafa Zico was sent off for an earlier goal after VAR spotted Marwan Attia’s foul on Lisandro Martinez in the set-piece, ending what many believed would be one of the goals of the tournament.

Under FIFA’s VAR protocol, a goal may be overturned if the video assistant referee identifies a clear and obvious foul committed by the attacking team anywhere during the immediate attacking phase that led directly to the goal.

While pundits such as Ally McCoist noted that Marwan Attia technically pulled Lisandro Martinez’s shirt and stepped on his foot, critics and the Egyptian camp strongly argued that the contact was soft and occurred too far back in the build-up, the length of the pitch, to overturn such a key World Cup goal.

English journalist Henry Winter summed up the lengthy review on social media by quipping: “If VAR had gone back any further in that Egyptian move, Tutankhamun would have been involved.”

Winter later wrote that Zico’s goal would have been one of the goals of the World Cup despite being disallowed.

BBC journalist Dale Jounson spoiled the VAR call that disallowed Salah’s goal.

“Egypt’s disallowed goal was completely against the way this tournament was decided. You can’t have a light touch where you don’t give fouls for minimal contact and then disallow a goal via VAR for very minimal possession,” he said. Screengrab by X

Egypt were equally frustrated after Mohamed Salah’s penalty appeal after a challenge inside the area did not receive the same level of scrutiny.

Their frustration came to a head late in the game when Hamdy Fathy appeared to have his shirt pulled by Alexis Mac Allister moments before Argentina launched a move that ended in Fernandez’s winner.

The incident was not thoroughly investigated, leaving the Egyptian bench furious.

Striker Mostafa Zico was visibly emotional after the final whistle.

“We put in a great performance against the world champions,” he said.

“I don’t know what happened in the second half. Strange things happened that everyone saw. It was as clear as the sun in broad daylight.

“The referee robbed the whole nation of his effort.

“Congratulations, Argentina, on winning the World Cup.”

The forward said the result would have been easier to accept if it had come without controversy.

“If they had won on merit alone, it would have been completely different for us.”

HENRY CALLS FOR CONSISTENCY, NOT CONSPIRACY

Former Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry acknowledged Egypt’s frustration but did not support Hassan’s allegations.

“Let’s explain this calmly because everyone is screaming, but not everyone is looking at the same incident,” Henry said.

“I have watched the tape several times and I understand why Egypt feels frustrated. I also understand why Argentina believes that the officials got the key decisions right. That is exactly why this debate has become so intense.”

Henry said the bigger issue isn’t whether each decision was correct, but whether the same standard was applied throughout the match.

“The biggest problem is not that people disagree. Football has always been full of disagreements. The real problem is consistency.

“When Egypt scored, VAR carried out a detailed review before the goal was eventually disallowed. Whether you agree with the decision or not, the process was thorough.

“The problem is that later in the game, Egypt had appeals that many people expected to receive the same level of scrutiny. Instead, those moments seemed to be resolved much more quickly, and that’s where the fans start to ask questions.”

Henry said VAR was introduced to make officiating more consistent than perfect.

“Modern football has embraced VAR because it promises one thing above all else: consistency. Fans don’t expect perfection. Referees are human. But they expect the same standard to be applied to every team at every decisive moment.”

“If one incident gets exhaustive coverage, fans naturally expect another equally important incident to get the exact same amount of attention. When that doesn’t happen, controversy is inevitable.”

Henry also praised both teams for producing one of the games of the tournament.

“None of that should take away from Argentina’s mentality. They showed huge character to come back in such a tough game. That deserves praise.

“At the same time, Egypt also deserve huge respect. They played with courage, organization and conviction. For a long time they looked capable of producing one of the biggest surprises of the tournament.”

“In the end, the result will go down in the history books. Argentina go through, Egypt go home.

“But the VAR debate will continue because whenever fans feel there is a lack of consistency, the conversation stops being about football and becomes about officiating.

“And that’s something nobody wants because the players, not the referees, should always be the biggest story after a World Cup game.”

KEANE WILL HASAN’S NOTES

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane dismissed Hassan’s allegations, saying Egypt’s collapse had nothing to do with marketing, FIFA or Messi.

“That’s the kind of apology you expect from the fans after a bad night, not from the manager of the national team,” Keane said.

“If your team throws away a 2-0 lead late in the game, the first place you should look is in the mirror.”

Keane said blaming the referees ignored Egypt’s failure to close out the game.

“Every time Messi wins, people start talking about conspiracies instead of football. It’s lazy.

“Accept defeat, analyze what went wrong and improve your team.

“Blaming the referees and saying the tournament is a marketing ploy doesn’t change the fact that your side couldn’t see the match.

“That’s not the mentality a national team manager should have. Leaders take responsibility, they don’t make excuses.”

ZLATAN: LOOK AT YOURSELF FIRST

Former Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic also dismissed Hassan’s suggestion that Argentina were receiving favorable treatment because of Messi’s global appeal.

“Every time Messi wins, people suddenly start talking about conspiracies. It’s always the same story. Instead of accepting defeat, they look for excuses,” Ibrahimovic said.

“If you’re 2-0 up and still don’t win the game, don’t blame the marketing, the referees or the tournament. Look at yourself first. Football doesn’t forgive mistakes, especially at the World Cup.”

Ibrahimovic said national team managers have a responsibility to set the right example after defeat.

“I have no respect for such excuses. The manager of the national team should set an example by taking responsibility and not create stories that distract from what happened on the pitch.”

“Argentina fought until the end and deserved their result. If you lose, accept it, learn from it and come back stronger. That’s what football is about.”

FIFA has not commented publicly on Hassan’s allegations. Argentina, meanwhile, remain in the hunt to defend their World Cup title and face Switzerland in the quarter-finals. But the Atlanta officiating debate isn’t likely to go away anytime soon.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

08 Jul 2026 11:08 IST