Sore losers: Egypt reports the French referee to FIFA after losing to Argentina

The victory of the Argentine National Team by 3 to 2 against Egypt in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup continues to generate discussion. Hours after the match played on July 7, the Egyptian Football Association filed an official complaint with FIFA against the officiating of the game.

The main target is the French referee François Letexier. The African federation holds him responsible for decisions that, according to them, directly influenced the result and their elimination from the tournament.

The president of the Egyptian Association, Hany Abo Rida, pushed for the complaint and requested that FIFA investigate Letexier's performance and that of his officiating team. Additionally, he asked that neither the main referee nor the rest of the officiating team officiate any more matches for the remainder of the World Cup.

The plays that generate controversy

The Egyptian claim focuses on two specific actions. First, a goal by Egypt when they were leading 1-0 that was disallowed by VAR. According to the review, there was a foul on Lisandro Martínez at the start of the play, which is why the goal did not count.

These differences in officiating criteria are at the heart of the formal complaint filed with the authorities of world football.

Strong criticism from the Egyptian locker room

The complaints did not come only in writing. As soon as the match ended, several members of the Egyptian delegation expressed their dissatisfaction. Mustafa Zico, one of the scorers for his team, was one of the harshest: "It's unfair, it's evident, it's clear. The referee undermined the effort of an entire country. He was responsible for the defeat."

Coach Hossam Hassan also questioned the officiating performance at the press conference. He stated that the result was affected by "internal factors on the field and external factors prior to the match." He also revealed that they had already expressed concerns about the appointment of the French referee.