Egypt Coach Claims FIFA Favoured Argentina in World Cup Clash

Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan has accused FIFA and match officials of favouring Argentina following his side’s dramatic 3-2 defeat in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16.

Egypt surrendered a two-goal lead in the closing stages of the match in Atlanta as the defending champions scored three times in the final 13 minutes to book a place in the quarter-finals. However, Hassan insisted the result was overshadowed by controversial officiating.

The Egyptian coach criticised French referee François Letexier, claiming his team was denied key decisions, including a disallowed goal after a VAR review and an unawarded penalty following an alleged foul on Mohamed Salah moments before Argentina’s winning goal.

“We looked better than the reigning champions, better in everything, but the result was influenced by internal factors on the pitch and external factors off it.”

Hassan further alleged that the tournament appeared to be tilted in favour of the defending champions.

“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition.”

He also described the officiating as “unfair” and said Egypt had been subjected to “great injustice” despite their spirited performance against Argentina.

The defeat sparked emotional reactions from Egypt’s players and coaching staff, with several protesting the referee’s decisions after the final whistle. Goalkeeping coach Saafan El-Sagheer was sent off, while Hassan received a yellow card during the heated exchanges.

As of the time of filing this report, FIFA has not publicly responded to Hassan’s allegations of bias or favouritism.