Argentina found itself engulfed in a storm of controversy following a dramatic victory over Egypt, with accusations of favoritism and alleged refereeing injustices marking the aftermath of the match. The world champions were trailing 2-0 with just 11 minutes left, but managed an impressive turnaround, ultimately winning 3-2 and securing their place in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
Expectations were that the Argentine team would overcome Cape Verde and Egypt in the early knockout rounds without much difficulty, but the reality was quite different. Both victories required a titanic effort, especially against Egypt, whose elimination was shrouded in strong dissent. The Egyptian federation even demanded that FIFA exclude the referees responsible for the Round of 16 match, accusing them of blatantly favoring Argentina and, in particular, Lionel Messi.
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The coach Hossam Hassan did not hold back his words after the final whistle: “We were treated unfairly” and “we suffered an injustice,” he stated, expressing suspicions of bias on the part of FIFA. “Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to continue in the tournament,” Hassan fired off at a press conference, raising the issue of the alleged protection of the South American team.
Egyptian discontent has some justification, especially considering the unfolding of the match. Egypt was seconds away from securing its first-ever place in the quarter-finals, but everything fell apart in the final minutes with a dazzling Argentine assault. The controversy began with the disallowance of Mostafa Zico's goal, after VAR detected a foul by Marwan Attia on Lisandro Martinez at the start of the play. Although Egypt maintained its lead and even scored a second goal, the feeling of injustice did not dissipate.
Egyptians are also claiming two possible penalties in their favor before Enzo Fernandez's decisive goal, arguing that Hamdi Fathy was held by Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah was allegedly brought down by Julian Alvarez. However, the footage does not clearly confirm any infringement sufficient for a penalty, showing only contacts similar to the one that penalized Attia in the previously disallowed play.
Although the performance of the French refereeing team led by François Letexier was controversial, there is no concrete evidence of a conspiracy to favor Messi or Argentina. Egyptian frustration is understandable given the turnaround and the questionable decisions, but the conspiracy theory lacks solid foundations.
The appointment for the upcoming matches is also under scrutiny, with the entire officiating team for the France-Morocco match being Argentine, something unprecedented in this edition of the World Cup. This choice generates discomfort and raises questions of impartiality, especially considering the rivalry and the significance of the teams on the field. It remains to be seen whether FIFA will respond to the Egyptian complaints and whether the controversy surrounding officiating will continue to dominate attention for the remainder of the competition.
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