Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan launched a scathing attack on the officiating following the Pharaohs' dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina, claiming the Round of 16 encounter at the 2026 FIFA World Cup had been unfairly decided.
The Pharaohs appeared on course for one of the biggest upsets of the tournament after establishing a two-goal advantage against the defending champions.
However, Argentina mounted a late comeback to book their place in the quarter-finals, leaving Egypt's players and coaching staff devastated.
The match was overshadowed by several controversial refereeing decisions, including the VAR review that ruled out Mostafa Zico's goal early in the second half and a number of incidents that sparked protests from the Egyptian bench.
Speaking after the final whistle, an emotional Hassan did not hide his frustration, accusing officials of favouring the reigning world champions.
"I will say what's on my mind regardless of the consequence; this was clearly a rigged match, and the whole world saw it," the coach said in his post-match.
The Egypt coach went on to question the integrity of the competition, suggesting the outcome had already been decided.
"And I want to say one more thing, if they want them [Argentina] to win so bad, why call everyone to come and participate?"
Besides Hossam Hassan, Egypt forward Mostafa Mohamed, popularly known as Zico, has blamed unfair officiating for the Pharaohs' defeat to Argentina.
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