'We cannot remain silent regarding the refereeing decisions"

A match that will be talked about forever. Some will celebrate a magnificent comeback, while others will remain convinced that referee Francois Letexier robbed them. That is the lasting impression of the match between Argentina and Egypt. The Egyptians had not calmed down even after the final whistle (head coach Hossam Hassan said he would not watch another World Cup match for the rest of the tournament), and they were still furious with the referees the following day. The Pharaohs believe that several key decisions went against them, including the incident involving Ziko's goal, which was disallowed by VAR for a foul committed much earlier in the move. Shortly afterward, Egypt was not awarded a penalty following a foul by Alexis Mac Allister, and moments later Argentina scored the winning goal.

'They wanted Messi to stay!': Egypt explode after Argentina escape

The Egyptian FA released a statement in which they thanked Egyptian people around the world for their ‘unwavering support, loyalty, and belief in the national team throughout the World Cup journey‘. And then they turned to the Argentina match.

"The Egyptian Football Association cannot remain silent regarding the refereeing decisions witnessed during the match against Argentina as well as the failure to make appropriate use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system. Several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game. What occurred during the match has understandably generated widespread frustration among our players, staff, and supporters, who expected the highest standards of officiating on football's biggest stage" reads the Egypt FA‘s statement.

Benni McCarthy rips into referee following Egypt's controversial FIFA World Cup exit

The Pharaohs also talked about the fair play.

"We have always upheld the principles of fair play, sporting integrity, and respect for the game. Those same principles require that all teams compete under equal conditions and receive equal treatment. What happened during the match understandably caused frustration among our players, coaching staff, and supporters, who expected the highest standards of officiating on football's biggest stage. Defending the rights and interests of the Egyptian national team is not something that can be ignored, downplayed, or treated as a secondary matter“ they said.

WORLD CUP - KNOCKOUT STAGE

Quarter-finals

Thursday

23.00: (1.60) France (4.00) Morocco (6.20)

Friday

22.00: (1.65) Spain (4.00) Belgium (5.50)

Sunday

00.00: (4.00) Norway (3.70) England (1.90)

04.00: (1.75) Argentina (3.50) Switzerland (5.50)

***odds are subject to change***