Rabat – The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has submitted a complaint to FIFA, calling on the governing body to investigate what it described as inconsistent refereeing standards during Egypt’s FIFA World Cup Round of 16 defeat to Argentina.
Egypt believed it had extended its lead in the second half, but the goal was overturned following a VAR review after midfielder Marwan Attia was judged to have stepped on Lisandro Martínez’s foot in the build-up to the move.
“Hany Abou Rida, president of the Egyptian Football Association, filed a complaint with FIFA, demanding an investigation into French referee François Letexier following the serious refereeing mistakes committed by the officiating team and the double standards that caused the Egypt national team to lose the match and exit the World Cup,” the EFA said in a statement.
The Association also called for an investigation into both the on-field match officials and the VAR team, alleging “blatant officiating errors” and claiming key footage was not properly reviewed.
It further demanded that the entire officiating team be suspended from the remainder of the tournament pending the outcome of the investigation, accusing the officials of discriminating against the Egyptian national team.
Argentina secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt in Atlanta on Tuesday to book a place in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals. Egypt produced a spirited performance and twice fought back during the match, but the reigning world champions capitalized on decisive moments to seal their progression.
