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New Delhi: Egypt’s dramatic exit from the FIFA World Cup has taken a fresh turn after the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) formally asked FIFA to investigate French referee Francois Letexier and remove him from the tournament. The request comes after Egypt’s controversial 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16, a match filled with several disputed refereeing decisions.

Egypt looked on course for one of the biggest World Cup upsets after racing into a 2-0 lead against the defending champions in Atlanta. However, Argentina fought back to win the match with Enzo Fernández scoring a dramatic winner deep into stoppage time.

The result left the Egyptian camp frustrated, with players, coaches and officials questioning several key calls made during the contest.

In an official statement released on Wednesday, the Egyptian Football Association confirmed that president Hany Abou Rida had submitted a formal complaint to FIFA. According to the statement, the federation believes a series of serious refereeing mistakes and inconsistent VAR decisions directly affected the outcome of the match.

“Hany Aburida, President of the Egyptian Football Federation, filed a complaint with FIFA, demanding an investigation into the French referee Francois Letexier… after the serious refereeing mistakes committed by the team of referees and double standards, which caused the Egypt team to lose the match and leave the World Cup,” the federation said in a statement, as reported by AFP.

Egypt’s complaints centre around three major incidents. The first was the disallowed goal scored by Mostafa Ziko after a VAR review spotted a foul in the build-up. The second involved a penalty appeal after Mohamed Salah went down inside the box, with the referee choosing not to review the incident. The third was an alleged foul by Alexis Mac Allister before Argentina’s winning goal.

The EFA also claimed the VAR officials ignored footage that could have benefited Egypt and demanded action against the entire officiating team.

The controversy did not end with the final whistle as Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan strongly criticised the officiating and questioned whether the decisions favoured Argentina.

“We have not seen respect or fair play,” Hassan said while expressing his disappointment after the match. He also claimed Egypt had been denied fair treatment during crucial moments of the contest.

Despite the strong allegations, FIFA has only acknowledged receiving the complaint and has not announced any disciplinary action. The removal of a referee during a World Cup is extremely rare unless there is clear evidence of serious misconduct.

For now, Egypt’s World Cup campaign has ended but the debate over the officiating is likely to continue as FIFA reviews the federation’s complaint in the coming days.