Argentina defeated Egypt 3-2 in the FIFA World Cup 2026. Egypt blamed the defeat on controversial refereeing decisions. FIFA is investigating after a video of a fan abusing officials after a match went viral.
An Egyptian fan vented all his anger on the match officials after the defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026. A video of this match which took place on Tuesday, July 7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta is going viral. Star striker Mohamed Salah’s team Egypt was on the verge of a big victory. The team had taken a 2-0 lead, but in the last 13 minutes Argentina turned the tables. Argentina scored three goals one after the other and won the match 3-2 and secured their place in the quarter-finals.
But this match got mired in controversies. Egypt coach Hossam Hassan accused FIFA of bias. He said that in the 82nd minute the referee gave a wrong penalty to Argentina, which changed the course of the match. When the score was tied at 2–2, the Egyptian team believed that Argentina’s McAllister had fouled their player Hamdi Fathi inside the box. The incident was not even investigated by VAR, which further angered the Egyptian team.
Egyptian fan abuses officials after the match
The Egyptian fans present at the Atlanta Stadium were extremely disappointed and angry at this defeat. He felt that his team missed out on reaching a historic quarter-final because of wrong decisions by the referee. A video went viral on social media, especially X (earlier Twitter). It is seen that when the match officials were leaving the field, an Egyptian fan was abusing them. His anger was exactly the same as that expressed by the team’s coaching staff after the match.
Angry fans made gestures indicating corruption and abused the match referee, especially François Letexier. Letexier faced the anger of both spectators and team staff, as the Egyptians believed that his many controversial decisions robbed the team of a historic victory.
The defeat in this thrilling match against Argentina has forced the Egyptian team and their supporters to question the referee’s decisions. Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said he had been ‘betrayed’. He further said, ‘I do not want to make light of the matter by calling it bad luck. Today we have been openly cheated; We have suffered injustice.
FIFA starts investigation against Egyptian fan
A viral video of an Egyptian fan abusing and making gestures at match officials has now come to the attention of tournament organisers. It is being told that FIFA, the world governing body of football, will identify the person by examining the surveillance footage of the stadium. Such behavior is a violation of the tournament’s strict code of conduct. Although FIFA has not made any official statement on this, there are reports that the governing body is taking the matter seriously, as the safety of match officials is one of the biggest concerns during the tournament.
If the investigation finds a violation of the code of conduct, the person may have to face serious consequences. He may be banned from all remaining matches of the World Cup. Additionally, legal action may also be taken based on local US laws. FIFA may also impose fines or other disciplinary action. Meanwhile, Argentina will continue its journey to defend the World Cup title. It will face Switzerland in the quarter-finals on Sunday, July 12.