Egyptian and Arab Media Unanimous: Officiating in Argentina Match Was Scandalous

Egyptian and Arab media are dissecting the dramatic 3-2 elimination of the "Pharaohs" by Argentina in the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup. The press unanimously expressed outrage over the officiating of French referee François Letexier. Egyptian media lauded their national team's magnificent performance, which came agonizingly close to knocking out Argentina after taking a 2-0 lead, only to concede a comeback and lose 3-2 to the world champions.

Local sports outlet "Kingfut" directed its anger at the VAR system, featuring on its front page statements from national team coach Hossam Hassan, who openly labeled the referee's decisions as a "scandal." The "Pharaohs" protested their disallowed goal for 2-0 and two unawarded penalties in the final minutes of the match, which preceded Argentina's decisive 3-2 strike. These protests were echoed by regional media.

Egyptian newspaper "Youm7" went even further, stating in its pages that the match "became one of the most controversial of the entire tournament" due to Letexier's decisions, asserting that the gravity of what transpired "transcended the boundaries of the pitch."

The media's analysts, former footballers Khaled Gadalla and Bashir al-Tabay, pointed out that the disallowing of Zico's goal had "no justification whatsoever." Television channels like "Bein Sports," which exclusively broadcast the tournament in Egypt, concurred with this analysis. They noted that if VAR's premise of a preceding foul for the disallowed Egyptian goal was accepted, the same should have applied to Argentina's final goal. Former English referee Mark Halsey had already expressed a similar opinion.

According to them, the build-up to Enzo Fernandez's winning goal in the 91st minute began with a foul on Mohamed Salah in the Argentine penalty area.

In the same vein, Cairo's "Al-Ahram" newspaper wrote that the Egyptian national team's World Cup farewell came "amidst refereeing controversies" and spoke of widespread "outrage" in Arab sports. In its article, the newspaper described as "dubious" the foul called on Egyptian player Marwan Attia, which led to the disallowing of Mostafa Zico's goal, a goal the publication believes would have decided the match.

Furthermore, "Al-Ahram" claimed that the referee "spared" Nahuel Molina a red card for "unsportsmanlike conduct" in the 43rd minute and directly accused the tournament's television production, pointing out that the incident in question "was not replayed during the live broadcast."

The words of coach Hossam Hassan, who spoke of theft and a conspiracy in favor of Argentina, were also widely reported. "Al-Wafd" newspaper, for its part, questioned the meaning of his much-discussed gesture – crossed arms above his head.

"This gesture was not merely a protest against a specific decision, but rather an expression of general dissatisfaction with the management of the match, especially after the disallowing of an Egyptian goal following VAR intervention – a decision that continued to spark intense debate even after the final whistle," the publication analyzed.

"The official silence only deepens the mystery. Despite the widespread circulation of the video, neither Hossam Hassan nor any member of the coaching staff has issued a statement to clarify the true meaning of this gesture. This has opened the door to numerous interpretations, while the Egyptian Football Association has so far refused to comment on the incident," the newspaper further stated.