Egypt coach alleges unfair treatment after World Cup exit

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan questioned the officiating following his team’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, suggesting that the defending champions benefited from unfair decisions due to Lionel Messi’s presence. According to the Egyptian news outlet Ahram Online, Hassan expressed his grievances after Egypt surrendered a two-goal lead, with Enzo Fernández scoring a stop-time winner that sent Argentina into the quarter-finals.

The Pharaohs appeared on track for a major upset, having established a 2-0 lead, but Argentina made a remarkable comeback with contributions from Cristian Romero, Messi, and Fernández. Despite the emotional loss, Hassan felt pride in his players for reaching the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time in Egypt's history.

"I am very happy with my team’s performance at the World Cup," Hassan stated in a press conference. "We have a good team that honored African and Arab football. We don’t fear any team. We will build on what we achieved because we have many goals for the future. Our ambition is to compete on equal terms with any team in the world." The coach praised his largely home-based squad for matching one of the strongest teams globally.

However, he reserved his strongest comments for French referee François Letexier and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), criticizing the lack of fairness in officiating during the match. "A penalty was ruled out, and a second incident that should have been checked for a penalty for us was not even checked by the VAR. There seems to have been pressure from the Argentinian side on the referee that has brought about this outcome," he said.

Hassan also advised that the match schedule, which saw kickoff at midday local time, was inappropriate for a football match. "Whoever schedules these matches is someone who has never played football. You never schedule a football match at 12 noon," he commented. Later speaking to beIN Sports, he suggested the tournament favored the defending champions. "Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the competition?" he reflected.

Despite the defeat, Hassan apologized to Egyptian supporters and articulated pride in the team's achievements throughout the tournament, which included draws with Belgium and Iran, a victory over New Zealand, and a penalty shootout win against Australia. "I apologize to the Egyptian people. We wanted to make you happy, but it was beyond our control. I’m sorry," he concluded.