Egypt Football Federation Files Official Complaint Against Referee François Letexier After World Cup Exit

The Egyptian Football Federation has officially lodged a complaint with FIFA over the officiating in Egypt's dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Egypt looked on course for a famous victory after taking a 2-0 lead and holding it until the 79th minute, before Argentina staged a remarkable comeback to eliminate the Pharaohs from the tournament. The match has since sparked controversy after the referee Letexes ruled out a Mostafa Ziko goal when they were leading 1-0 after VAR intervened to spot a foul on Lisandro Martinez.

The controversy intensified deep into stoppage time after Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi had helped Argentina erase Egypt's two-goal advantage. Moments before Enzo Fernández scored the dramatic winner, Egypt felt they should have been awarded a penalty after Alexis Mac Allister appeared to pull Hamdy Fathy inside the box. However, the referee waved play on, allowing Argentina to launch the attack that ultimately produced the decisive goal.

Following the match, Egyptian Football Federation president Hany Abo Rida submitted a formal complaint against French referee François Letexier and his officiating team, calling for FIFA to investigate several controversial decisions made during the game.

In a statement, the federation claimed that major refereeing errors and inconsistent decisions had a direct impact on the outcome of the match.

“Hany Aburida, President of the Egyptian Football Federation, filed a complaint with FIFA, demanding an investigation into the French referee Francois Letexier… after the serious refereeing mistakes committed by the team of referees and double standards, which caused the Egypt team to lose the match and leave the World Cup,” said a statement from the federation.