The elimination of Egypt in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup against Argentina left indignation in the African camp. After the 3-2 defeat, after blowing a two-goal lead in the last 13 minutes of the matchthe Egyptian coach, Hossam Hassan, criticized the refereeing and questioned the performance of the French referee François Letexier.
In the press conference after the match, Hassan assured that the result was conditioned by different factors and suggested that the referee’s performance was decisive in the outcome.
“The result was influenced by internal factors on the field of play and during the match and by external factors prior to the match.” “There appeared to have been pressure from Argentina on the referee, which led to this outcome; we had expressed our objections to the referee.”
During the match, Egypt had a goal disallowed due to a foul detected at the beginning of the play. In addition, the African team claimed an alleged infraction prior to the goal that meant Argentina’s victory. Regarding this action, Hassan criticized the fact that a more exhaustive review was not carried out. “There wasn’t even a VAR review; we all saw how they pulled his shirt, but the play was not reviewed to annul the goal. That’s life: unfair.”
The coach stated that his team deserved a better outcome after the effort made on the field. “We deserved this victory (…). I think the impact of this result goes far beyond the defeat itself, because we have seen neither respect nor Fair Play.”
Hassan also revealed part of the conversation he had with Letexier at the end of the match and expressed his discomfort with the referee’s decisions. “I thought that maybe he was hiding something, that maybe he had something to hide. Someone who has something to hide sometimes can’t hide it completely, and that was exactly what I felt during that conversation.”
As a sign of protest, the Egyptian coach announced that he will stop following the rest of the competition when he returns to his country. “I am not going to follow, and I promise you, from the moment I return, the matches of this Fifa World Cup. It is my internal struggle, my personal objection, my own way of raising my voice and standing firm. I am not going to watch a single more match of this tournament.”
The strategist reiterated his criticism and assured that he will maintain his position despite the consequences. “I will speak my mind regardless of the consequences; this was clearly a rigged match and everyone saw it.”
Finally, Hassan addressed a message to the tournament organizers. “And I want to say one more thing: if they want Argentina to win so much, why do they call everyone to come and participate?”
The Egyptian coach’s statements could generate controversy around the World Cup 2026 due to the seriousness of his accusations against the refereeing and the organization of the competition, after the elimination of Egypt in the round of 16.
#Football2Day – 🇪🇬
Hossam Hassan, coach of Egypt, at the end of the match:
🗣️ “I will speak my mind regardless of the consequences, this was clearly a rigged match and everyone saw it.”
🗣️”And I want to say one more thing, if they want Argentina to win so much, why do they call…
— Luis Omar Tapia (@LuisOmarTapia) July 7, 2026