Egypt’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to reigning champions Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match has sparked fierce debate online with fans claiming that the Pharaoh’s were completely robbed by some of the refereeing decisions as well as by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.
The on-field referee Francois Letexier has also become a major talking point over the last 24 hours for his decisions. The controversy centered on two massive flashpoints.
Read more:
FIFA World Cup 2026: Lionel Messi clashes with Egypt coaching staff, WATCH viral video HERE
First, in the 59th minute when Egypt thought they had taken a 2-0 lead when Mostafa Ziko finished off a brilliant breakaway. However, the VAR pulled play all the way back to the opposite end of the pitch. Replays showed that Egyptian midfielder Marwan Attia had clearly tugged the shirt and stood on the foot of defender Lisandro Martinez.
¿EL ROBO DEL MUNDIAL? 🏆 ⚽️🏟️
Lo que pasó en el partido Argentina vs. Egipto no puede pasar desapercibido.
Nadie pone en duda la enorme calidad de Argentina ni el peso histórico de sus jugadores, pero ganar bajo la sombra de un arbitraje tan tendencioso no beneficia a nadie, ni… pic.twitter.com/4mxrxIQuLS
— Eolo Pacheco 🇲🇽 (@eolopacheco) July 7, 2026
After a lengthy check from Francois Letexier in the VAR screen, the goal was ruled out. Later in the match with the game tied at 2-2, Mohamed Salah went down inside the Argentina box from a challenge by Nicolas Tagliafico.
The referee waved play on but VAR chose not to intervene, allowing Argentina to immediately counter-attack and score their 92nd-minute winner through Enzo Fernandez’s sensational pinpoint header. The decisions triggered absolute chaos on the Egyptian bench.
Head coach Hossam Hassan and goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir were booked for their furious protests, while an assistant coach was shown a straight red card. Hassan even made racism signs with the Egyptian support staff also clashing with Lionel Messi towards the end of the match.
Mostafa Ziko avoided yellow card for taking his shirt off; logically Egypt weren’t robbed
Despite the intense anger from the Egyptian camp, the reality is that Egypt were not robbed by the VAR at all. Both major decisions followed the exact rules of the game. For the disallowed goal, Marwan Attia’s foul directly won the ball to launch the counter-attack, making it a mandatory reviewable phase of play.
The shirt pull was clear and obvious, meaning the goal could not legally stand. Furthermore, the penalty appeal from Mohamed Salah showed that the forward fell quite easily and the contact was minimal. In fact, Tagliafico’s first contact was with the ball not Salah’s feet.
La polémica jugada de Mohamed Salah en la que reclaman un penal para Egipto desde un ángulo donde se ve la a posición del balón y el movimiento del pie de ambos jugadores. #Argentina vs #Egipto #Mundial2026 pic.twitter.com/8W8vjNAyOh
— ZuritaCarpio (@ZuritaCarpio) July 7, 2026
If anything, Egypt actually benefited from referee Francois Letexier. When Mostafa Ziko scored his goal in the 67th minute, he took his shirt off during the wild celebrations. Technically and as per the rule books, that should have resulted in an automatic yellow card but the referee spared him and that also should be a major talking point.
The VAR acted correctly throughout the match and Egypt’s exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup was down to their late defensive collapse and Argentina’s attacking surge rather than any refereeing bias.
