Egypt demand FIFA investigation into referee after Argentina World Cup defeat

The Egyptian Football Federation has filed a formal complaint with FIFA, demanding an investigation into French referee Francois Letexier. The federation says refereeing errors cost Egypt a place in the World Cup quarter-finals after their 3-2 last-16 defeat to Argentina on Tuesday. Federation president Hany Aburida wants the entire officiating crew, including video assistant referees, excluded from the tournament.

What is Egypt's complaint against the referee?]

Egypt's federation accuses Letexier and his team of serious errors and double standards during the match against Argentina. Aburida's statement claims the officials refused to review footage that would have favoured Egypt, including a legitimate goal and a penalty claim. The federation has asked FIFA to investigate the entire refereeing team, including the VAR officials.

What happened during the Egypt vs Argentina match?]

Egypt led 1-0 when Mostafa Ziko had a goal disallowed after VAR flagged an earlier foul on Lisandro Martinez. Ziko then put Egypt 2-0 ahead, moving them to the brink of a first-ever World Cup quarter-final. Argentina responded through Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi to level the score before half-time added on.

In the build-up to Argentina's winning goal, scored by Enzo Fernandez, Egypt believe they should have been awarded a penalty. The federation says a pull by Alexis Mac Allister on Hamdy Fathy went unpunished moments before the decisive goal.

What does Egypt want FIFA to do?]

Aburida has asked FIFA to investigate the claimed discrimination against Egypt and to remove Letexier and his entire team from the World Cup.

The federation argues the officials ignored footage supporting Egypt's case for a valid goal and a penalty. It has framed the request as a demand for accountability rather than a routine appeal.

What did Egypt's coach say after the match?]

Coach Hossam Hassan said Egypt had been treated unfairly and denied fair play by the officials. He told reporters the team had suffered an injustice and saw no respect shown toward them during the match. Speaking to BeIN, Hassan suggested external factors may have influenced decisions, referencing the presence of world champions Argentina and Messi in the competition.

Hassan said football sometimes involves factors beyond the technical side of the game, adding that Argentina had received support "at every level." Neither FIFA nor Letexier has publicly responded to Egypt's complaint at the time of writing.