FIFA has received a formal complaint from the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) after Egypt demanded an investigation into referee Francois Letexier and his entire officiating team following their 3-2 defeat to Argentina at the FIFA World Cup 2026. The federation is also seeking the removal of the French officials from the remainder of the tournament, alleging that decisive refereeing errors altered the outcome of the match.
The protest follows Argentina‘s dramatic comeback victory over Egypt in Atlanta, where the South Americans recovered from a two-goal deficit before Enzo Fernandez scored the winning goal in stoppage time. Egyptian officials contend that multiple decisions by the match officials, including those involving the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), denied the team crucial moments during the contest.
In a statement released on Wednesday, July 8, the EFA confirmed that their president, Hany Aburida, had taken the matter directly to FIFA rather than relying solely on the usual post-match review process.
โHany 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,โ the Egyptian federation said in a statement, according to AFP news agency.
Egypt’s complaint centres on three incidents that it believes significantly influenced the result. The federation disputes the decision to disallow Mostafa Ziko’s goal after a VAR review, objects to the absence of a review following a challenge on Mohamed Salah inside the penalty area and argues that Alexis Mac Allister committed a foul in the buildup to Argentina’s winning goal.
The federation also called out the VAR officials
The federation also alleged that the VAR officials failed to examine incidents that it believes supported Egypt’s case.
โAburida demanded the investigation of the entire team of referees, including the video technology referees, because of the blatant errors and insisting on not reviewing some of the footage that we believe are in favour of the Egyptian national team, and we see in it the Pharaohs’ right to a correct goal and a penalty,โ the statement read.ย
Following the final whistle, emotions ran high within the Egyptian camp as members of the coaching staff had to be restrained from approaching the referee, while several players were left in tears on the pitch.
FIFA, in the meantime, has acknowledged receiving the complaint submitted by the Egyptian delegation. The governing body has not announced any disciplinary action and removing referees during a World Cup remains an exceptional measure that generally requires proof of a serious breach of integrity.
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