Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan has launched a scathing attack on the match officials after his side’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting the Pharaohs were “cheated” out of a place in the quarter-finals.
Speaking after Tuesday’s heartbreaking loss, an emotional Hassan accused the officials of denying Egypt key decisions that he believes changed the outcome of the contest.
“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 press conference.
Egypt thought they had taken an early two-goal advantage when Mostafa Zico found the net after opening the scoring, but the effort was ruled out following a VAR review, with officials identifying a foul on Lisandro Martinez earlier in the move.
Zico eventually restored Egypt’s cushion by scoring their second goal, putting the North Africans within touching distance of a historic first-ever World Cup quarter-final appearance.
However, defending champions Argentina mounted a remarkable comeback. Cristian Romero pulled one back before Lionel Messi, who had earlier seen a penalty saved, levelled the score with his eighth goal of the tournament.
Enzo Fernandez then completed the turnaround with the winning goal.
Hassan also questioned the build-up to Argentina’s decisive strike, arguing that Egypt should have been awarded a penalty after Alexis Mac Allister allegedly pulled Hamdy Fathy’s shirt inside the box.
“We haven’t seen respect or fair play. There has not been respect or fair play,” Hassan said.
“A penalty was ruled out, 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.”
The Egypt coach admitted the controversial defeat had left him so disillusioned that he would no longer watch the remainder of the tournament.
“I am not going to continue following the matches of this World Cup, watching the matches of this World Cup,” he added.
“This is my own way of speaking up.”
