Egypt Coach Questions FIFA World Cup Fairness After Argentina's Dramatic Comeback Victory

Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan questioned the fairness of the FIFA World Cup after his side suffered a dramatic 3-2 defeat to defending champions Argentina in Atlanta, alleging that key refereeing decisions influenced the outcome.

Egypt looked on course for a major upset after racing to a 2-0 lead, but Argentina mounted a late comeback, with Lionel Messi scoring once and assisting another before Enzo Fernandez netted the stoppage-time winner.

Despite the fightback, Hassan insisted his team had outperformed the reigning champions and suggested factors beyond football affected the result.

"We looked better than the reigning champion — better in everything — but the result was influenced by internal factors on the pitch and external factors off it," Hassan said.

The Egypt coach also implied that there was a desire to keep Argentina and Messi in the tournament.

"Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running," he said.

Egypt Questions VAR Decisions

Hassan expressed frustration over two major incidents that he believed changed the course of the match.

According to the Egypt coach, his side had a goal disallowed following a VAR review, while a penalty appeal before Argentina's winning goal was not reviewed.

"We haven't seen respect or fair play. A penalty was ruled out. It was not even checked by the VAR, and our second goal was, for whatever reason, disallowed. We have been treated unfairly and it has been an injustice," he said.

Referee and Scheduling Also Criticised

Hassan also criticised the scheduling of the fixture, arguing that the midday kickoff created difficult playing conditions for both teams.

He revealed that he confronted French referee Francois Letexier after the final whistle over the officiating.

"What I told the referee was, 'This is unfair,'" Hassan said, "I said maybe he is carrying a scar or has something to hide."

Argentina's victory sends the defending champions into the next stage of the tournament, while Egypt's World Cup campaign comes to an end.

Social media users alleged that the referee and VAR denied Egypt a clear penalty to keep Argentina in the tournament, claiming Egypt deserved to qualify instead

Another user called it a cheating on broad day