Mohamed Salah and Egypt faced disappointment in a dramatic World Cup round of 16 match against Argentina. Despite leading by two goals, Egypt lost 3-2 to the defending champions on Tuesday. The match ended in chaos, with several Egyptian team members receiving yellow cards and the goalkeeping coach, Saafan Elsaghir, being shown a red card after a clash with French referee Francois Letexier.
Egypt’s coach, Hossam Hassan, expressed anger, alleging bias towards Argentina and their star player, Lionel Messi. He claimed that the match was manipulated to favor Argentina advancing further in the tournament. Holding up an ‘X’ sign, he accused the officials of racial unfairness and criticized the decision-making process.
Hassan stated, “We have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice.” He added that though Egypt lost, the team was leaving with pride.
Egypt was also agitated by a crucial decision. A video review disallowed a potential second Egyptian goal for a foul, despite Mostafa Zico scoring later to secure a 2-0 lead. Argentina’s Cristian Romero scored in the 79th minute, and Messi equalized shortly after. Enzo Fernández scored the winning goal in stoppage time, following a controversial play where Salah was stripped of the ball. Egypt claimed this should have been reviewed for a penalty.
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) criticized the referee’s decisions, highlighting their dissatisfaction with how the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system was used. “Several key incidents raised serious concerns about the consistency and fairness of decisions,” the EFA said in a statement.
Even retired NFL star Tom Brady remarked on the dramatic comeback via social media, likening it to his Super Bowl victory in 2017. However, Hassan dismissed Brady’s comments. He focused on the missed penalty for Salah, arguing it showed a lack of respect and fair play.
With Zico’s goal following a play led by Salah, Egypt hoped for a historic quarterfinal appearance. Argentina, renowned for such comebacks, had already shown resilience by defeating Cape Verde in extra time earlier in the tournament.
Hassan voiced his frustration with the referee, questioning his motives and expressing that he felt this compromised fairness. He stated, “What I told the referee was just that this is unfair. I was questioning what could be hidden behind these decisions.” As Argentina advanced to face Switzerland, Hassan declared his personal boycott of the tournament.
“From the moment I go back, I’m not going to continue following the matches of this FIFA World Cup,” he said, emphasizing his protest.
AP Soccer Writer James Robson also contributed to this report.