Click to watch the referee's mistakes in the Egypt vs. Argentina match

During the Egypt vs. Argentina match, referee François Letexier made a series of highly questionable decisions that had a significant impact on the outcome of the game. Egypt received multiple yellow cards for challenges that were similar to incidents where Argentina players received no disciplinary action. Fouls were consistently awarded in Argentina’s favor, while comparable fouls against Egyptian players were ignored.

Additionally, Egypt had a legitimate goal disallowed under circumstances that appeared unjustified, raising further concerns about the accuracy of key decisions. In contrast, Argentina benefited from highly controversial moments, including a goal that appeared to be offside and another that followed a foul on Mohamed Salah, where he was clearly brought down in the build-up.

There were also repeated incidents of physical contact against Egyptian players when they were not even in possession of the ball. These challenges appeared excessive and, at times, deliberate, yet they were not appropriately penalized, further highlighting the inconsistency in officiating.

In one particularly concerning incident, Egyptian player Hamdy Fathy had his shirt torn by an Argentine player during play. When he approached the referee to report the incident and showed his visibly torn shirt as evidence, he was instead given a yellow card. This response raises serious concerns about fairness and the handling of player complaints on the field.

Moreover, there were multiple instances of blatant and deliberate foul play that required no VAR review to be identified. Mohamed Salah was brought down repeatedly, Mostafa Shobeir was also pushed several times by Argentinian players, even though he was standing in the goal at the far end of the field, Emam Ashour was struck in the face despite not being in possession of the ball, and both Haitham Hassan and Emam Ashour were subjected to repeated stamping on their feet, Despite all this, the referee took no action against the Argentinian team. This resulted in the two players to leave the field with injuries, unable to continue the match, and being replaced by two other players. These actions, along with continued physical aggression toward other Egyptian players, were not adequately addressed by the referee. 

One of the most concerning incidents involved the refusal to review a crucial situation for Egypt using VAR, despite repeated appeals. Even more troubling, the Egyptian goalkeeper was shown a yellow card simply for requesting a VAR review. Conversely, when an Argentinian player requested a VAR review, the decision was immediately reviewed, ultimately leading to the disallowing of the aforementioned Egyptian goal.

Furthermore, FIFA had previously instructed that players and coaching staff could signal suspected bias by making a cross gesture with their arms. However, when the Egyptian coaching staff attempted to use this gesture, the response was punitive rather than protective. The Egyptian head coach received a yellow card, while the assistant coach was shown a red card and sent off after questioning the decision.

These incidents raise serious concerns about the consistency, fairness, and transparency of officiating in such a critical match. Football fans deserve impartial refereeing where both teams are treated equally and critical decisions are handled with accountability.

This match ultimately contributed to Egypt’s loss in the World Cup under highly controversial circumstances.

We therefore urge FIFA and the relevant football authorities not only to investigate the referee’s performance, but to take further action by ordering a full re-evaluation of the match, ensuring that justice and fairness are upheld at the highest level of the sport.