The Egyptian Football Association on Wednesday criticised refereeing decisions in Egypt's dramatic 3-2 World Cup round-of-16 defeat by Argentina, saying it would not remain silent over what it described as the improper use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.

Egypt's coach Hossam Hassan faces online criticism after an old assault video resurfaced. This footage emerged following his recent accusations of unfair refereeing in a World Cup match.

Argentina's dramatic comeback from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 has been overshadowed by refereeing controversy, with Egypt coach Hossam Hassan accusing match officials of "cheating" his side out of a place in the quarter-finals.

For Mohamed Salah and Egypt, what could have been a glorious celebration turned ugly at end. On the cusp of upsetting the defending World Cup champions, the Pharaohs squandered a two-goal lead late in the game and lost to Lionel Messi and Argentina 3-2 in the round of 16 Wednesday.

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said Wednesday it “cannot remain silent” after what it believes was unfair and biased officiating in Egypt's 3-2 round of 16 loss

Egypt has lodged an official complaint with FIFA seeking an investigation into referee Francois Letexier and the removal of his officiating team after its 3-2 World Cup defeat to Argentina. They alleged major refereeing and VAR errors influenced the match's outcome.

The underlying anger had been building since the 59th minute of the match when Egypt's 2nd goal was ruled out by VAR intervention