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Egypt manager Hossam Hassan has claimed that his team suffered an “injustice” in their dramatic 3-2 World Cup round-of-16 defeat to Argentina. The Pharaohs squandered a two-goal advantage in Atlanta as the defending champions mounted a late comeback, but the encounter was overshadowed by a series of controversial refereeing decisions that left the North African side furious.

Hassan accuses bias towards Messi

After a thrilling contest, Hassan did not mince words in his assessment of the officiating, implying that there were efforts to ensure Lionel Messi’s continued participation in the competition. “We looked better than the reigning champions – better in everything – but the result was influenced by internal factors on the pitch and external factors off it,” Hassan told reporters. “Perhaps they wanted the world champion to remain in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the tournament.”

The Egyptian coach continued his criticism by questioning the fairness at football’s highest level. “In football, there are sometimes external factors that go beyond technical matters. The world champion received support on every level,” he added. “There appeared to be pressure from the Argentina camp on the outcome. We had objected to the referee’s selection because of the French situation [Argentina defeated France in the 2022 World Cup final], but everyone has to experience hardship at some point, and we have suffered.”

Outrage over VAR decisions

Egypt’s anger stemmed from two crucial incidents: a disallowed goal that would have extended their lead, and an alleged foul by Alexis Mac Allister in the build-up to Enzo Fernandez’s stoppage-time winner. Hassan insisted his side were denied a clear penalty for a foul on Mohamed Salah that went unchecked. “We didn’t see respect or fair play. A penalty was ignored – it wasn’t even reviewed by VAR – and our second goal was inexplicably disallowed,” the coach lamented.

On the decisive goal, Hassan highlighted a clear shirt-pull that the officials overlooked, shaking his belief in sporting fairness. “Everyone saw the shirt being grabbed [by Mac Allister], and there wasn’t even a VAR check. Life is unfair – normal life is unfair – so why can’t there be fairness in sport? I’m not convinced by the result or the way things unfolded. I want to put it politely and say ‘hard luck’, but we were treated unfairly. It was an injustice.”

Players voice frustration over officiating

Players echoed their coach’s sentiments, believing the match’s momentum was influenced by forces beyond their control. Forward Mostafa Zico, who netted Egypt’s second goal, expressed disbelief at how the tide turned after they led 2-0. “The match was in our hands and slipped away at the last moment. Strange things happened on the pitch. We were wronged by the referee today – everyone saw that. After we went 2-0 up, everything changed and went against us.”

Goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, who earlier denied Messi from the penalty spot, admitted to late lapses but remained proud of the team’s overall effort.

Meanwhile, reserve keeper Mohamed Alaa was more forthright: “The refereeing was obvious to everyone. I don’t want to talk much about it – it was clear. We had a goal disallowed and a penalty that wasn’t given. That penalty turned into a counterattack and a goal against us.”

Salah’s message to the team

Despite the bitter defeat and the chaotic scenes at full-time – including a heated exchange between Hassan and referee Francois Letexier – Egypt captain Mohamed Salah tried to inspire calm and perspective in the dressing room. According to Alaa, Salah gathered the players to speak after the emotional loss.

“Captain Salah came into the locker room, brought everyone together, and spoke with us,” Alaa revealed. “He said, ‘Hard luck, it’s over. It’s God’s will, and what happened is what He decided. Let’s build on this, and what’s coming will be better, God willing.’” While Salah looked ahead with optimism, Hassan’s final words reflected deep disappointment: “When I’m done, I won’t watch another match of this tournament.”