Argentina’s 3-2 win over Egypt in the World Cup round of 16 has triggered controversy on and off the pitch, after Egypt’s players, coaching staff and supporters questioned several key decisions in the match.
Egypt had led 2-0 and appeared on course for a place in the quarter-finals before conceding three late goals. But the result was quickly overshadowed by anger over the officiating, including an Egypt goal ruled out after a review, late penalty appeals that were waved away, and protests from the Egyptian bench before Argentina’s stoppage-time winner.
The anger was also visible on the touchline, where members of Egypt’s coaching staff protested against the decisions, while players were seen arguing with officials.
Online, many said the calls had denied Egypt a fair chance to advance, turning the match into one of the most debated games of the knockout stage.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan criticised the officiating after the match, saying Egypt had been the better side and that what happened was “not fair”. He questioned why Egypt’s goal was ruled out, saying the team could have gone 3-1 ahead before the score became 2-2, and suggested there was “marketing” support for the previous World Cup champions to remain in the tournament.
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“We did what we had to do, and I thank my players very much,” he said.
Egypt player Mustafa Ziko broke down in tears during a post-match interview, accusing the referee of being “unfair” and saying the decisions had wasted “the effort of an entire nation”. He also described the tournament as “biased”.
Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion and political commentator, also criticised the decisions on X, writing: “Incredible Egyptian goal is disallowed because of a foul far away, then same situation a few minutes later and goal for Argentina not disallowed! No VAR, nothing?” He added that Fifa “again looks like a corrupt joke” and accused it of “playing favorites for stars”.
Former prolific England striker and football pundit Alan Shearer criticised the consistency of the decisions on X, writing: “Either both are fouls or neither is a foul. But they’re not going to re-referee they told us.”
Dale Johnson, football issues correspondent at BBC Sport, said on X that Egypt’s disallowed goal was “completely against how this tournament has been refereed”. He said officials could not take a “light touch” approach by allowing minimal contact, then rule out a goal through VAR for “a very minimal hold of the shirt”.
Football analyst Geronimo Morgans wrote on X that VAR had not reviewed “two clear fouls” against Egypt players inside the Argentina box before Enzo Fernandez’s goal, while a foul had overturned Egypt’s second goal. “Why does the treatment have to be so one-sided?” he wrote, describing the match as “completely unfair” and saying: “Egypt have been robbed.”
Mohamed ElBaradei, Egyptian Nobel Laureate and former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, wrote on X in Arabic that Fifa had “lost a lot of credibility and trust” for reasons “known to everyone”.
Craig Murray, a former British ambassador and political commentator, also shared criticism on X, writing: “Not my invention, but FIFA = Fixing It For Argentina has been blatant.”
Argentina will now turn their attention to the quarter-finals, while Egypt leaves the tournament after an impressive campaign that saw it remain undefeated until the round of 16, but which ended in frustration, with players, coaches and supporters insisting the team had been denied a fair chance to continue.
