Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan accused French referee François Letexier of bias following Egypt's 3-2 [1] loss to Argentina in the Round-of-16.
The allegations highlight growing tensions over officiating consistency in the knockout stages of the tournament, where a single decision can eliminate a national team.
The match took place on July 8, 2026 [2], in the U.S. Following the defeat, Hassan and the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) identified two specific incidents that they said unfairly advantaged Argentina [3]. These included a disallowed goal by Mostafa Ziko, and a denied penalty claim [3].
"The referee’s decisions, especially the disallowed Ziko goal and the denied penalty, cost us the match," Hassan said.
The EFA further escalated the dispute on July 9, 2026. A spokesperson for the association said, "We cannot remain silent after what we consider biased and unfair officiating against Egypt."
FIFA responded to the accusations through the Referee Committee. Pierluigi Collina, the committee chair, rejected the notion that the match was influenced by favoritism. He said, "There is no evidence of any referee favouring a team; the officials acted within the laws of the game."
While the EFA focuses on the overall officiating, reports on the specific pivotal error differ. Some accounts identify the disallowed goal by Ziko as the primary turning point, while others point to the denied penalty during the build-up to Argentina's winning goal [3].
“"The referee’s decisions, especially the disallowed Ziko goal and the denied penalty, cost us the match."”
The clash between the EFA and FIFA underscores the high-stakes nature of World Cup officiating. By publicly challenging a FIFA-appointed official, Egypt is pushing for greater accountability and transparency in how VAR and referees manage critical goals and penalties in the knockout rounds.
