Egypt complains officials were biased in World Cup loss to Argentina

Egypt’s Football Association (EFA) said Wednesday it “cannot remain silent” after what it described as unfair and biased officiating in Egypt’s 3-2 round-of-16 loss to Argentina on Tuesday. Egypt’s coach Hossam Hassan and several players criticized the refereeing, noting that Argentina scored three unanswered goals in 13 minutes to complete one of the biggest comebacks in World Cup history. In a statement, the EFA said the referee failed to use the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) appropriately, leading to the defeat. Egypt appeared to have scored its second goal in the 58th minute, but a VAR review determined Marwan Attia had fouled Lisandro Martínez early in the buildup. FIFA’s chief of refereeing Pierluigi Collina later said unfounded allegations have no place in the sport, while defending the Attia decision and VAR’s ability to intervene. After Argentina’s winner, Hassan signaled racial abuse with an “X” gesture, and Saafan Elsaghir was red-carded.