Hossam Hassan Slams Referee After Egypt’s World Cup Exit to Argentina

Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan strongly criticized French referee François Letexier following his side's defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, claiming the match was influenced by controversial officiating.

Speaking after the game, Hassan argued that the match lacked fairness and suggested Egypt's elimination was driven by "marketing reasons." He claimed football authorities wanted Argentina to progress in the tournament and said the referee's decisions reflected unequal treatment throughout the match.

Midfielder Emam Ashour also questioned the officiating, criticizing the decision to disallow a goal scored by Mostafa Ziko, which was overturned after a VAR review. He also insisted Egypt should have been awarded a penalty in the buildup to Argentina's late winning goal.

Egypt's players and coaching staff expressed frustration with several refereeing decisions, arguing that many challenges were judged in Argentina's favor. They also claimed Egyptian players were booked too easily, while similar fouls by Argentina went unpunished.

The disallowed goal came in the second half after VAR ruled that Marwan Attia had committed a foul on Lisandro Martínez earlier in the attacking move.

The biggest controversy came during stoppage time when Argentina scored their third goal through Enzo Fernández. Egypt appealed for a penalty moments earlier, claiming Mohamed Salah was challenged inside the box while Omar Marmoush was pulled by his shirt during the same attack. Play continued, and Argentina immediately launched a counterattack that ended with Fernández scoring.

Despite repeated protests from the Egyptian players, the referee did not review the incident on the pitch-side monitor. Instead, he sent off Egypt goalkeeping coach Safwan El-Sagheer and became involved in heated exchanges with Hassan and several members of the squad.

The referee's performance sparked widespread criticism among Egyptian supporters, many of whom argued that inconsistent decisions had a significant impact on the outcome of the match.