Argentina’s dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Egypt in the FIFA World Cup round of 16 has sparked a major controversy, with Egypt manager Hossam Hassan accusing FIFA of favouring Lionel Messi and the defending champions. Egypt led 2-0 before Argentina scored three late goals, including a 93rd-minute winner from Enzo Fernandez in Atlanta. The match was overshadowed by several disputed refereeing and VAR decisions, leading to angry reactions from Egypt’s bench and players. While Hassan and others questioned the fairness of the officiating, no evidence has emerged to support claims of corruption or match manipulation.
Hossam Hassan and Mohamed Salah at centre of Egypt’s anger after disputed VAR calls
Egypt looked in control for most of the match. Yasser Ibrahim opened the scoring in the first half before Mostafa Ziko doubled the lead midway through the second period. With Argentina facing elimination, Cristian Romero pulled one back before Lionel Messi equalised. Enzo Fernandez then completed the turnaround with a stoppage-time header.The biggest flashpoint came shortly before Argentina’s winning goal. Egypt believed they should have been awarded a penalty when Mohamed Salah went down inside the box after contact from Julian Alvarez. Referee Francois Letexier allowed play to continue and VAR did not intervene.Earlier in the second half, Egypt also saw a goal ruled out after a VAR review identified a foul in the build-up. Those decisions left the Egyptian camp furious.After the final whistle, tensions boiled over near the touchline. Members of Egypt’s staff confronted officials, goalkeeper coach Saafan El-Sagheer was shown a red card, and Hassan had to be pulled away during the confrontation.Speaking after the match, Hassan openly questioned the fairness of the tournament.“We were better, but football is unfair.“It could be a matter of marketing, they could want to make a World Cup with the champion of the last World Cup, they want Messi to exist (in the tournament).“I thank my players very much. To all the Egyptians, the Arabs, the Africans, you can work hard, it’s what you have to do, but sometimes there are other factors that make you struggle.”He later added: “Why isn’t there any fairness in sport? In football? I do not want to try to put it nicely here with beautiful wording. We have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice.”He then added, “It’s all about money. They want Messi to stay in the tournament. In football, many things happen off the pitch because of interests. What happened was unfair. Egypt deserved to qualify. We were the better team against Argentina.” I will say what’s on my mind regardless of the consequence, this was clearly a rigged match and the whole world saw it”He later added, “And I want to say one more thing, if they want Argentina to win so bad, why call everyone to come and participate?”
Lionel Messi, Gianni Infantino and FIFA face online criticism after Argentina victory
The debate quickly spread beyond Egypt’s camp. Mostafa Ziko, who scored Egypt’s second goal, delivered an emotional interview and blamed the referee for the result.“Referee, not fair. Unjust, unjust referee. An unjust person. An injustice that is so clear.“He’s wasting the effort of an entire nation.”He also said: “Congratulations to Argentina on the World Cup. Congratulations. You don’t need anything else.”Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov also criticised the officiating on X. Referring to one of the disputed incidents, he wrote: “Incredible Egyptian goal is disallowed because of a foul far away, then same situation a few minutes later and goal for Argentina not disallowed! No VAR, nothing? FIFA again looks like a corrupt joke, playing favorites for stars.”According to the Daily Mail report, some supporters also pointed to Argentina receiving eight penalties in their last 12 World Cup matches and questioned several decisions involving the defending champions during recent tournaments.FIFA president Gianni Infantino has also faced criticism online from fans alleging bias. However, there is currently no evidence supporting claims that FIFA, Infantino or match officials manipulated the result in favour of Argentina.Messi and Argentina have now advanced to the quarter-finals as they continue their bid to retain the World Cup trophy.