Egypt's head coach, Hossam Hassan, said his team faced "injustice" after losing 3-2 to Argentina in the World Cup Round of 16. He announced he won't watch the rest of the tournament.
Argentina made a comeback after being two goals down, with Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi scoring to level the game. Enzo Fernandez then scored in stoppage time, sending the defending champions to the quarter-finals in Atlanta on Tuesday.
After the match, Hassan spoke through FIFA’s official translation. He said the result was more than just a score on the field.
"I think the effect of this outcome goes beyond the defeated seat. We haven’t seen respect nor fair play.
"I’m not convinced with this outcome, with the way things unfolded in this match. I do not want to try to put it nicely with beautiful wording, selective words, saying hard luck and so on. We’ve been treated unfairly today. We’ve suffered injustice," he said.
Hassan mentioned that there were problems both on and off the pitch that needed attention.
"There are a lot of things to be questioned on and off the pitch, negative aspects all around," Hassan stated.
He confirmed he would not watch any more matches now that Egypt is out of the tournament. This Round of 16 finish is Egypt's best World Cup performance since 1934. It also marks their first time at the tournament since 2018.
Hassan's comments came after a tense moment with French referee, Francois Letexier, at the end of the game. The coach suggested the referee had "something to hide."
Egypt was leading 2-0 before Argentina's comeback. They were upset about two key decisions: a goal ruled out after a VAR check and a failure to review a foul on captain Mohamed Salah late in the game.
Egypt's players shared Hassan’s frustration after the match. Many accused the referee of bias, but FIFA has not yet responded to these claims.
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