According to the EFA, several refereeing decisions had a decisive impact on the outcome of the match.
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has formally petitioned FIFA to investigate the officiating of Egypt’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup, demanding that the entire refereeing team be removed from the remainder of the tournament over what it described as serious errors and “double standards.”
The complaint follows Egypt’s controversial elimination in Atlanta, where the North Africans surrendered a 2-0 lead before Argentina staged a late comeback to secure victory and progress to the quarter-finals.
According to the EFA, several refereeing decisions had a decisive impact on the outcome of the match.
The federation particularly objected to the intervention of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), which disallowed a goal by Mostafa Zico after Egypt midfielder Marwan Attia was adjudged to have stepped on Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez’s foot earlier in the attacking move.
Egypt also believed captain Mohamed Salah should have been awarded a penalty after an alleged foul inside Argentina’s penalty area moments before the reigning world champions launched the counterattack that produced the stoppage-time winning goal.
In a strongly worded statement, the EFA announced that it had officially escalated the matter to football’s world governing body.
“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 federation further demanded a comprehensive review of the officiating team and the VAR officials, alleging repeated failures to properly review critical incidents during the encounter.
It called for an investigation into the team of referees and video technology referees after what it described as “blatant errors and insisting on not reviewing some of the footage”.
The EFA also “demanded the exclusion of the referee and the entire crew from the World Cup after investigating these mistakes” and alleged “the crime of discrimination against the Egyptian national team”.
Emphasising its dissatisfaction with the officiating, the federation declared:
“The Egyptian football association cannot keep quiet regarding refereeing decisions made in the match against Argentina.”
It added: “The failure to use the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) raises serious concerns about the consistency of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game. A number of football analysts and specialists have highlighted controversial and influential refereeing during the match.”
Egypt’s exit means the country remains without a World Cup quarter-final appearance.
Argentina’s comeback was inspired by captain Lionel Messi, who created his side’s first goal in the 79th minute before scoring the equaliser himself four minutes later, setting the stage for the late winner that secured qualification.
Following the match, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan accused the officials of denying his team a fair contest.
“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running,” he said after insisting Egypt had been “treated unfairly” and “suffered injustice”.
Goalscorer Mostafa Zico also criticised the officiating in the strongest terms.
“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 FIFA is yet to react to the allegations and requests by the Egyptian football federation.
