Egypt Accuses FIFA of Bias After Loss to Argentina in World Cup Round of 16

Egyptian players and the coach accused match officials of favoring Argentina after a 3-2 loss in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 at Atlanta Stadium on July 7. Egyptian midfielder Mostafa Zico told reporters the game was not fair. “No fair. No fair.

” Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan told reporters the match was “rigged” and said FIFA wanted to keep Argentine star Lionel Messi in the tournament for marketing reasons. “We have been cheated unfairly today; we have suffered injustice,” he said.

A video assistant referee disallowed an Egyptian goal in the 58th minute after determining that Egypt’s Marawan Attia had fouled Argentina’s Lisandro Martínez. The foul occurred while Argentina was on the attack, prompting debate over whether the review fell within standard VAR scope.

Egypt extended its lead to 2-0 in the 67th minute. Argentina scored in the 79th, 83rd, and 90+3 minutes to win. Replays after the final goal showed Argentine midfielder Alexis Mac Allister fouling an Egyptian player while Egypt was attacking.

FIFA has faced scrutiny throughout the tournament over its use of video assistant referee technology. Critics say the system is now reviewing marginal calls that previously went unnoticed, altering match flow. ” FIFA has previously fined and banned coaches for criticizing officiating, including Indonesia’s coach in 2012.