Egypt accuses officials of unfair play after 3-2 loss to Argentina

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan and members of the Egyptian national team accused match officials of unfairness after their 3-2 loss to Argentina on Tuesday, a result that sent Lionel Messi’s team into the World Cup quarterfinals.

Hassan told reporters that his side had been denied fair treatment by referees and video review, saying, “We haven’t seen respect or fair play.” He said a penalty was dismissed, another incident that should have been checked by VAR was not reviewed and a second goal was “remarkably, for whatever reason, disallowed.”

Forward Mostafa Ziko echoed the coach, saying the team was “hard done by [the referee] today” and calling the match “rigged.” Ziko questioned the disallowing of what would have been a 3-0 lead and said refereeing decisions shifted the momentum against Egypt.

Match reports show Egypt led 1-0 and briefly appeared to extend the lead before a VAR review overturned a goal because of a foul noted about 20 seconds earlier on the opposite side of the pitch. There were other contested moments, including what some players said was a foul on Mohamed Salah that could have warranted a penalty.

The tournament has seen earlier controversies over officiating, including a red card shown to U.S. forward Folarin Balogun and a subsequent FIFA decision to postpone his one-game suspension, allowing him to play in the round of 16. The VAR review that disallowed Egypt’s second goal drew criticism from some commentators, while other borderline calls were described as typical to tight matches.

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