Atlanta. Egypt head coach Hussam Hassan raised serious questions on refereeing and FIFA after the 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026. He alleged that his team was treated unfairly and reigning world champions Argentina benefited from biased decisions.
Hussam Hasan said after the match, “We played against one of the biggest teams in the world and were better than them in every department. But there was unilateral pressure on the referee, due to which the result went against us.”
He said that even before the match, Egypt had objected to the appointment of referee François Letexier. After the defeat he claimed that his team did not receive a clear penalty and that the second goal was also unfairly disallowed.
Hasan said, “We deserved this victory, but we did not get justice. Neither fair play nor respect was seen on the field. FIFA gives the slogan of ‘fair play’, but it had no effect on the field. If the referee had not made mistakes, the result could have been different.”
After the match was over, he also had a heated argument with the referee. Hasan said, “I told the referee that this was completely unfair. Maybe he had something in his mind that he wanted to hide. People who try to hide something, they often do not succeed. Now I will not watch any more matches of this tournament.”
Expressed displeasure over the afternoon match also
The Egyptian coach also raised questions on FIFA’s match schedule. He said, “Holding the match at 12 noon does not show understanding of football. When will the players have lunch? The people who make such a schedule do not understand football.”
Expressed pride in the team and Arab-African football
Despite his anger, Hussam Hasan praised his team. “I told the players that I am proud of them. This team will continue to grow and become stronger. I am proud not only of my team, but of the entire Arab world and African football,” he said.
