CAIRO: Egypt coach Hossam Hassan has lashed out at FIFA after his side’s 3-2 loss to Argentina at the FIFA World Cup on Monday.
The match took place in Atlanta. Hassan argued that the Pharaohs were treated unfairly and suggested key decisions went against his team.
His comments came after Egypt pushed the reigning world champions to the limit. Despite the defeat, Hassan said some decisions were deliberately taken against his side.
Egypt and Lionel Messi’s Argentina battled for a place in the quarter-finals. The North Africans stunned the world champions by taking a two-goal lead. However, Argentina fought back to claim a dramatic 3-2 victory in the last-16 clash.
The former African champions went ahead within the opening 15 minutes. They doubled their advantage in the second half and looked set for a famous victory.
Hassan was left frustrated when Mostafa Zico had a goal ruled out while Egypt led 1-0. VAR intervened and identified a foul on Lisandro Martinez earlier in the build-up.
Zico later restored Egypt’s momentum by scoring to make it 2-0. The goal put the Pharaohs on the brink of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time.
Argentina responded quickly. Cristian Romero reduced the deficit before Messi levelled the score. The Argentine captain had earlier seen a penalty saved but found the net with his eighth goal of the tournament.
The controversy continued before Argentina’s winning goal. Enzo Fernandez scored the decisive strike, but Egypt felt they should have been awarded a penalty moments earlier. The Egyptians claimed Alexis Mac Allister had pulled Hamdy Fathy inside the box.
HASSAN FIRES SALVO AT FIFA AND FRENCH REFEREE
“I do not want to put it nicely and talk about hard luck. We have been cheated unfairly today; we have suffered injustice,” Hassan said in an explosive post-match press conference, according to Al Jazeera.
“We haven’t seen respect or fair play. There has not been respect or fair play. A penalty was ruled out, which was not even checked by VAR. A second goal was remarkably disallowed.
“There has not even been a VAR check when we have all seen the image of the shirt being pulled back. I am not going to continue following the matches of this World Cup. This is my own way of speaking up.”
FIFA AND REFEREES WANTED EGYPT OUT
Shortly after Yasser Ibrahim gave Egypt a 1-0 lead, Argentina received a penalty. The spot-kick was awarded after Nicolas Tagliafico was tripped.
The decision highlighted Messi’s struggles from the penalty spot at World Cups. Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir produced an excellent save to deny the Argentine star.
The miss means Messi has failed to score four of his eight World Cup penalties outside of shootouts. Two of those misses have come during this tournament.
Hassan also criticised issues away from the pitch. The AFCON-winning coach said they affected his players’ preparation.
He questioned the scheduling of the match. The game kicked off at noon local time, only four days after both teams had won their round-of-32 fixtures.
“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running,” Hassan told BeIN Sports.
“In football, there are sometimes external factors that go beyond the technical aspects. The world champions received support at every level.”
The veteran coach nevertheless praised his players for their performance.
“I’m very, very satisfied with the effort they put in. Most of our players come from the Egyptian domestic league. Many players in other national teams are based in Europe and live in that professional environment.
“Yet with predominantly local players, besides Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, we were able to compete with anyone.”
Hassan also criticised the kick-off time.
“Whoever schedules those matches has never played football. You never schedule a game for 12 pm. At noon, you go for a walk or eat brunch. You do not go and play football.
“When are the players supposed to eat? At 7:30 am? There have been a lot of things to be questioned on and off the pitch.”
Meanwhile, FenceAfrica24 understands that Hassan’s efforts have been rewarded with an improved contract, according to Egyptian football website KingFut.
“EFA president Hany Rida announced the decision following the Pharaohs’ impressive showing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where they reached the round of 16 before suffering a spirited 3-2 defeat to defending champions Argentina,” the publication reported.
“Hassan’s achievements earned widespread praise, prompting the EFA board to approve the continuation of his tenure. The association also confirmed that Ibrahim Hassan will remain technical director. The formal renewal is expected to be ratified at the board’s next meeting after the national team returns home on Friday.”
Following Egypt’s exit, Morocco remains Africa’s only representative at the tournament. The Atlas Lions will face France in the quarter-finals on Thursday night at 22:00 CAT.
