Staff Reporter
CAIRO – The Egyptian Football Association has lodged an official complaint with FIFA following Egypt’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina national football team in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Egyptian football governing body is demanding an investigation into French referee François Letexier and the entire officiating team, including the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) officials, over what it described as serious refereeing errors that influenced the outcome of the match.
In a letter to FIFA, Egyptian FA president Hany Abo Rida said: “The referee committed serious refereeing errors and applied double standards during the match, which directly contributed to Egypt’s defeat and elimination from the World Cup.”
The complaint further states: “We demand an immediate investigation into the referee and the entire officiating team, including the VAR officials, over their failure to review incidents that warranted a legitimate Egyptian goal and a penalty kick.”
The federation also urged FIFA to suspend the match officials from officiating any remaining World Cup fixtures if the investigation confirms the alleged errors.
Despite the controversial exit, Abo Rida praised the Egyptian players for their spirited performance against the defending champions.
“Our players fought like heroes against one of the world’s strongest teams. We apologise to the Egyptian people for not preserving our lead until the final whistle, but we thank our fans, the media, officials and the political leadership for their unwavering support throughout the tournament,” the statement read.
FIFA is yet to publicly respond to the complaint as debate over the officiating continues following one of the tournament’s most contentious knockout matches.
