Angry Egypt fans were filmed making threatening gestures to match officials as they left the pitch following Argentina’s controversial last-gasp win in the World Cup.
Footage showed supporters hurling abuse at the FIFA officials in the aftermath of Argentina’s dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt in the round of 16 knockout tie.
At one point, the cameraperson repeatedly shouted “f*** you” at the refereeing team as they walked off the pitch.
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At least two officials appeared to look directly at the shouting man.
He then turned the camera on himself and apparently made a threatening gesture towards them.
The highly charged encounter saw Egypt lead 2-0 before Argentina mounted a late fightback, with Lionel Messi among those on the scoresheet.
Controversy erupted over key refereeing decisions, including a VAR-disallowed goal for Mostafa Zico and denied penalty appeals at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, US.
French referee François Letexier, assisted by Cyril Mugnier and Mehdi Rahmouni, faced immediate backlash from Egyptian players and staff.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan received a yellow card for dissent and later criticised the officiating as “unfair”, claiming the tournament was “directed towards” Argentina.
He vowed never to watch the World Cup again due to a lack of “respect or fair play”, as reported by Need To Know.
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) issued a strongly worded statement, declaring it “cannot remain silent” over the refereeing and VAR’s failure to intervene appropriately.
EFA President Hany Abo Rida formally complained to FIFA, demanding the French officiating team’s removal from the tournament and an investigation into alleged “double standards”.
FIFA chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina defended the officials, stating “nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials” and warning that such accusations could provoke threats against referees and their families.
An Egyptian referee, Mohamed Adel, later backed the decisions, saying Zico’s goal was correctly disallowed for a prior foul and no penalty was warranted.
The result sent Argentina into the quarter-finals as they chase a second consecutive World Cup title, while Egypt’s campaign ended in acrimony.
Post-match reports also noted heightened security checks on Egyptian fans and incidents involving Argentina supporters waving Israeli flags near the Egyptian bench.
FIFA has yet to comment officially on EFA’s complaint.
The episode highlights ongoing tensions over officiating standards at the 2026 tournament.
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