Egypt Coach Critiques Referee Following Heartbreaking Loss to Argentina
After a gut-wrenching 3-2 defeat in the World Cup round of 16, Egypt’s coach Hossam Hassan expressed his discontent, labeling both the referee and the Argentine team as “unfair.” This came after Egypt initially led 2-0 until a mix of controversial calls turned the tide.
In the 59th minute, the Egyptians were riding high with their lead, but a disputed goal cancellation followed by a contentious Argentine goal shifted the momentum, allowing Argentina to advance to the quarter-finals. “There was no respect, no fair play,” Hassan stated to reporters post-match. “The penalty that was ruled out, and the second one—why wasn’t it checked by VAR? It’s perplexing.”
He added, “I wish I could thank everyone for their hard work, but we felt wronged. It just wasn’t right.”
Egyptians were particularly frustrated over a goal that was disallowed due to a foul during the build-up—one that had occurred over 20 seconds prior and far away from the action. Coaches and players felt that star Mohamed Salah might have been fouled in the Argentinian box just before Enzo Fernandes scored the winner in the 92nd minute.
While the Egyptian team protested, they instead received four yellow cards and one red. “It seems like the pressure from the Argentine side influenced the referee,” Hassan commented.
“Life isn’t fair. The world isn’t fair. But shouldn’t sports reflect some level of fairness?” he added, visibly unsettled with how things unfolded.
After the match, players continued to voice their grievances. Coach Mostafa Zico remarked in a TSN interview that, “The cup seems destined for Argentina.” He went on to assert, “The referee’s decisions were blatantly unfair. We were leading 2-0, and everything unraveled. It’s out of our control.”
Hassan, however, didn’t stop with the referee’s decisions; he also raised concerns about the match’s noon start time. “There are numerous issues both on and off the pitch. It feels like there are problems everywhere,” he said.
