Egyptian FA release furious first statement about refereeing in Argentina game

The Egyptian Football Association has called for FIFA to remove officials involved in their loss to Argentina from the tournament.

In one of the most dramatic and exciting matches of the 2026 World Cup so far, reigning champions Argentina booked their place in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Despite going 2-0 down to Egypt, who looked set to secure one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, Argentina showed their class and came back to win 3-2 before the final whistle.

Goals from Cristian Romero, Messi and a 93rd minute winner from Enzo Fernandez secured Argentina's spot in the quarter-finals, where they will face Switzerland.

But the match with Egypt was far from being free of controversy, with Egypt having a goal scored by Mostafa Zico disallowed by VAR due to a foul at the start of the move.

Later in the match, Egypt also claimed that star player Mohamed Salah had been fouled in the Argentina penalty area just seconds before the reigning champions scored their stoppage-time winner in a similar incident to the one leading to their goal being chalked off.

In the immediate aftermath of the game, several members of the Egyptian team and coaching staff marched onto the pitch to complain to match referee Francois Letexier, who responded by showing both yellow and red cards to the coaches.

Post-match, both Egypt manager Hossam Hassan and goalscorer Zico further criticised the match officials, labelling it 'unfair' or 'fixed'.

And now the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has released its first statement regarding the match, stating that it 'cannot remain silent' about the officiating.

The statement read: "The Egyptian Football Association cannot remain silent regarding the refereeing decisions witnessed during the match against Argentina as well as the failure to make appropriate use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.

"Several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game.

"A number of football experts and specialist analysts, both locally and internationally, have highlighted controversial and influential refereeing incidents during the match. This underlines the importance of maintaining the highest standards of integrity, fairness, and transparency in match officiating, particularly in a competition of the stature and significance of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

"Egyptian football has always respected the principles of fair play, sporting integrity, and respect for the game. These same principles require that all teams compete on equal terms and receive equal treatment.

"What occurred during the match has understandably generated widespread frustration among our players, staff, and supporters, who expected the highest standards of officiating on football's biggest stage."

READ MORE: Ian Wright perfectly sums up Argentina vs Egypt VAR controversy and even Roy Keane backed down

Egyptian FA call for FIFA to remove officials during Argentina match from the World Cup

In another statement, the EFA revealed that it had asked FIFA to kick the officials in charge of their World Cup last-16 defeat out of the tournament.

It read: "Hany Abou Rida, president of the Egyptian football federation, filed a complaint with Fifa, demanding an investigation into the French referee Francois 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 statement called for an investigation of the team of referees and VAR officials after what it claims were "blatant errors and insisting on not reviewing some of the footage".

It "demanded the exclusion of the referee and the entire crew from the World Cup after investigating these mistakes" and alleged "the crime of discrimination against the Egyptian national team".