Egypt Files Complaint With FIFA Against Referee After World Cup Exit

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has filed an official complaint with FIFA against French referee François Letexier, demanding a full investigation and his exclusion from the remainder of the 2026 FIFA World Cup following Egypt’s dramatic and controversial 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16.

EFA President Hany Aburida submitted the complaint directly to FIFA, accusing the officiating team of making “serious refereeing mistakes” and applying “double standards” that he said contributed to Egypt’s elimination from the tournament.

“An investigation into the French referee François 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 EFA’s complaint focuses on two major incidents during the match. The first was the VAR-assisted disallowing of Mostafa Ziko’s goal after Letexier ruled that Lisandro Martínez had been fouled earlier in the build-up. The second involved a late penalty appeal after Egypt claimed Alexis Mac Allister pulled Hamdy Fathy inside the penalty area before Enzo Fernández scored Argentina’s winning goal. According to the EFA, the incident was not reviewed by VAR.

Aburida also called for an investigation into the entire officiating crew, including the VAR officials.

“The investigation of the entire team of referees, including the video technology referees, because of the blatant errors and insisting on not reviewing some of the footage that we believe are in favour of the Egyptian national team.”

He further demanded the removal of the referee and his team from the tournament if the investigation confirms the alleged errors.

The complaint comes after Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan strongly criticised the officiating following the defeat, while several Egyptian players and former internationals also questioned the refereeing decisions. Former Egypt striker Mido described the result as a “great injustice” to the national team.

As of the time of filing this report, FIFA has not publicly responded to the complaint, and Letexier remains part of the tournament’s officiating panel pending any decision by world football’s governing body.