Egypt has formally requested an investigation by FIFA into the circumstances of their 3-2 extra-time loss to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16. Head coach Hossam Hassan claims that FIFA unfairly favours the current champions of world football, stating that the better side was penalized for the decisions.
Hassan’s concerns mainly revolve around decisions during key moments of the match. He expressed his feeling that FIFA might have been inclined to keep Lionel Messi and the Argentina team in the World Cup, either for financial or football-related purposes. His primary point of contention is an Egyptian goal that was disallowed in the first half.
It could have increased the lead to 2-0. Also, the coach said that a crucial foul against an Egyptian player, which occurred before the game-winning goal by Argentina in the extra time, was not taken into consideration after it.
Egyptian Football Association lodged an official complaint on this matter, and it has called upon FIFA to conduct an investigation into the refereeing panel and the VAR crew on the grounds of “serious refereeing errors and discriminatory actions” directed against the country’s national team.
Earlier on in the World Cup, Argentina had also been subject to criticism on their way to victory over Cape Verde. It remains to be seen whether FIFA responds to these accusations, while the reigning champions advance into the next round of the tournament.
