Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has addressed the favouritism allegations from Egypt’s coach after their controversial World Cup win. Scaloni dismissed the claims, stating that external criticism fuels his team’s rebellion and expressing his trust in the VAR system’s objectivity.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has broken his silence on the allegations of favouritism ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal clash against Switzerland at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Saturday, July 11.
Argentina’s 3-2 Round of 16 win over Egypt was marred by controversy, as Egypt coach Hossam Hassan accused FIFA of unfair treatment and of manipulating the match to ensure the defending champions remained in the tournament. Hassan claimed the result was influenced by “internal factors on the pitch and external factors off it,” adding that FIFA and the match officials were determined to keep Argentina and Lionel Messi in the competition.
The entire outcry by Egypt over officiating decisions during their pre-quarterfinal defeat to Argentina has become a topic of discussion on social media, especially on X (formerly Twitter), with fans and football enthusiasts divided in their reactions to the controversy.
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‘There Are People Who Don’t Argentina to Win’
Ahead of the much-anticipated quarterfinal clash against Switzerland, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni addressed the criticism around his team’s journey in the tournament and the recent claims of bias.
Speaking at the press conference, Scaloni stated that he is completely unbothered by the external noise and the conspiracy theories surrounding his team, adding that ‘there are people who don’t want Argentina to win, and that is part of the game.’
“It’s been a long time, 40 years as you just said, since 1986, right? They were saying we were favoured back then too. So it’s not something new. As far back as I can remember, Argentina has always been one of the teams that stirs up the tournament, always,” Scaloni said.
“And in a way, as you rightfully pointed out, it’s used to show the players that there are people who don’t want Argentina to win. But that’s normal, just like there will be people who don’t want another national team to win. The thing is, we might have a lot more people who don’t want us to win because we won the last one and, well, we take that into account. And yeah, it gets to the players,” he added.
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Argentina were on the verge of a shock exit after Egypt took a 2-0 lead, before goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi, and Enzo Fernandez in the final 13 minutes completed a dramatic comeback to secure a 3-2 victory.
However, the Egyptians were furious, claiming that several officiating decisions, including a contentious VAR call to disallow an Egyptian goal and a rejected penalty appeal in the closing stages, directly facilitated Argentina’s comeback and denied them a fair chance of victory.
‘The Comments That Are Made To Be Rebel’
Further speaking on Argentina’s controversial round of 16 win over Egypt and subsequent criticism, coach Lionel Scaloni defended his players’ resilience, emphasizing that they use external skepticism as fuel. He added that the VAR protocols were designed to be objective and that he trusts the tournament’s integrity.
“We use the criticism or the comments that are made to rebel. To stage a rebellion and make the players play even better.” Scaloni said.
“I think with VAR and all these things, it’s very hard for them to help you. Very hard, very hard. There’s no double interpretation with VAR.
“Plus, they made it crystal clear to us in that course they give us before the World Cup starts. They showed us all the footage. This is how it’s going to be, it’s going to be like this, like that. And it’s been followed to the letter,” he added.
Argentina will look to seal their place in the semifinal when they take on Switzerland in the much-anticipated quarterfinal clash in Kansas City. If Argentina qualifies for the final four, the Lionel Messi-led side will face either England or Norway at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday, July 15.
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