Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan launched a scathing attack on the match officials after his side’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, alleging that refereeing decisions favored the defending champions to keep Lionel Messi in the tournament.
Egypt appeared on course for a memorable victory after taking a two-goal lead, but Argentina mounted an impressive comeback with three unanswered goals to secure a place in the quarter-finals.
Speaking after the match in Atlanta, Hassan questioned the decision to disallow one of Egypt’s goals.
“One of our goals was ruled out, and I don’t know why. It wasn’t fair,” Hassan said. “It seems there is a desire to keep Messi in the tournament, and there are marketing interests involved.”
The Egyptian coach claimed his team had been treated unfairly by the referee.
“We were the better team, but football was unfair to us. Perhaps they want to keep the reigning world champions and Messi in the World Cup for commercial reasons. The referee was unjust to the Egyptian national team. There was no justice today,” he added.
Despite his frustration, Hassan praised his players for their performance.
“I thank my players because they worked incredibly hard. But there were other factors that made the situation difficult. I simply don’t like losing,” he said.
Hassan also expressed disappointment at failing to reward Egypt’s supporters.
“We wanted to make our fans happy, but sometimes things happen in football that go beyond technical matters. There seems to be support for the reigning world champions, though I don’t know why,” he said.
The coach concluded by apologizing to Egyptian and Arab supporters.
“I apologize to the people of Egypt and the Arab world. We wanted to bring you joy and go as far as possible in the World Cup. The players gave everything they had, and our ambitions remain even greater. Alhamdulillah for everything,” Hassan said.
Hassan’s remarks came after a controversial match that featured a disallowed Egyptian goal and several disputed officiating decisions, sparking debate over the referee’s performance. His allegations reflect his opinion and have not been substantiated by independent evidence or by FIFA.
