A call from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to FIFA President Gianni Infantino might not carry the same weight as one from a prominent global leader.
At this stage, El-Sisi has little to contribute. The coach of the Egyptian national team, Hossam Hassan, summed it up after their loss to Argentina in the World Cup Round of 16.
Hassan voiced his frustration with FIFA, suggesting that the organization aims to keep Argentina, especially superstar Lionel Messi, in the tournament for as long as possible.
“We performed better than the defending champions—superior in every aspect—but the result was swayed by both on-field and off-field factors,” he stated to reporters, as noted by Mark Ogden of ESPN. “Perhaps they wanted to ensure the world champions remained in the competition, or that Messi continued his run.”
“In football, sometimes external factors overshadow the technical elements. The reigning champions received support at every level.”
Hassan also mentioned that his team had raised concerns about the officiating prior to the match, specifically regarding referee François Letexier from France. After the game, Egypt was particularly aggrieved that VAR overturned a first-half goal that would have given them a 2-0 lead (they eventually scored a second goal) and that a potential foul on Argentina before the game-winning goal was not reviewed by VAR.
“We haven’t experienced respect or fair play,” Hassan remarked. “A penalty was dismissed and not even checked by VAR, while our second goal was inexplicably disallowed. I wish I could express it more positively, but we have faced injustice.”
The match ended dramatically, with Argentina scoring three times after the 78th minute, while Egypt’s perspective on the result is starkly different.
Following the game, the Egyptian Football Association called for an investigation into the referee and VAR teams due to “blatant errors and a failure to review crucial footage” potentially favoring Egypt. They also demanded the exclusion of both the referee and crew from the World Cup, alleging “discrimination against the Egyptian national team.”
This marks the second consecutive match raising questions about FIFA’s potential favoritism towards Argentina. After their comeback win over Cape Verde, Infantino remarked he “suffered” alongside Argentina, quickly adding “but I’m neutral.”
Various descriptors have been used to characterize Infantino, yet “neutral” has not been one of them lately.
