🇦🇷🇪🇬 Egypt's head coach said Argentina's comeback win happened because the game was rigged.
This is a compilation of moments he wants you to see.
Writer: Mhedi
The Egyptian FA have lodged a formal complaint to Fifa, citing 'double standards' from the officiating team in their match against Argentina - but will anything come of it? 🤔
🚨 Didier Drogba Blasts VAR Decision in Egypt vs Argentina:
I finally believe Argentina always find the easiest route to progress in the World Cup, and VAR made it obvious tonight.
Thank God VAR didn’t exist in our era. Look at the beautiful run from Hassan and Salah to create that chance - where was the referee then? Was the whistle missing from his hands? He only woke up after they scored.
You could see the reaction from FIFA President Gianni Infantino. I guess he wished he could reverse the second goal by Zizo.
The funny thing is that some fans are already saying Argentina is playing in the African Cup of Nations because they’ve faced mostly African teams since the start of the tournament. But I think yes, they have - and they’re experiencing it well, because Egypt won tonight for me.
Sometimes I blame African teams for not holding onto their leads until the final whistle, but how can they when the referee and VAR always seem to be against them?
We Africans deserve better.
🚨 𝗡𝗘𝗪: Thierry Henry on the VAR controversy in Argentina vs Egypt:
🗣️ "Let's explain this calmly, because everyone is shouting, but not everyone is looking at the same incident."
"I've watched the replay several times, and I understand why Egypt feel frustrated. I also understand why Argentina believe the officials got the key decisions right. That's exactly why this debate has become so intense."
"The biggest issue isn't that people disagree. Football has always been full of disagreements. The real issue is consistency."
"When Egypt scored, VAR carried out a detailed review before the goal was eventually ruled out. Whether you agree with that decision or not, the process was thorough."
"The problem is that later in the match, Egypt had penalty appeals that many people expected to receive the same level of scrutiny. Instead, those moments appeared to be resolved much more quickly, and that's where supporters begin asking questions."
"Modern football has accepted VAR because it promises one thing above everything else: consistency. Fans don't expect perfection. Referees are human. But they do expect the same standard to be applied to every team, in every decisive moment."
"If one incident receives an exhaustive review, supporters naturally expect another equally important incident to receive exactly the same attention. When that doesn't happen, controversy becomes inevitable."
"None of this should take away from Argentina's mentality. They showed tremendous character to come back in such a difficult match. That deserves praise."
"At the same time, Egypt also deserve enormous respect. They played with courage, organisation and belief. For long periods they looked capable of producing one of the biggest surprises of the tournament."
"This is why football supporters are still debating the match. Not because Argentina completed a comeback—that happens in football. They're debating whether every decisive incident was judged with the same level of care."
"In the end, the result will remain in the history books. Argentina go through. Egypt go home."
"But the discussion surrounding VAR will continue, because whenever fans believe consistency is missing, the conversation stops being about football and starts being about officiating."
"And that's something nobody wants, because the players—not the referees—should always be the biggest story after a World Cup match."
🇦🇷🇪🇬 Everyone wanted to scream that Argentina vs Egypt was rigged.
Then the replay made it annoying.
Egypt’s first controversy came when the refs missed a foul, Egypt went coast to coast, scored, and appeared to go up 2-0.
But VAR stepped in, reviewed the buildup, and ruled no goal.
As much as people wanted to lose their minds, the foul was there.
And under VAR, if an offense leads into the buildup of a goal, exactly what happened on that play, they can review it and take the goal away.
Then came the extra detail nobody wants to hear:
The Egyptian player also appeared to remove his shirt, which is supposed to be a yellow card.
Fast-forward to the 97th minute.
Salah goes down for Egypt, Argentina go coast to coast, score, and take the lead.
But when the play is slowed down, the defender touches the ball first.
It becomes a loose ball, then the player gets tripped up.
So yes, everyone wanted the “rigged” version.
The problem is the refs may have actually gotten both calls right.
Source: @MikeDaddino on YT / Writer Sol
EL GESTO DE BRAZOS CRUZADOS QUE HIZO EL DT DE EGIPTO
Hossam Hassan hizo la seña frente al árbitro luego del 3 a 2 de Enzo Fernández que selló el pase de la Selección a cuartos de final del Mundial 2026. Se trata de un gesto universal que denuncia episodios de racismo y que ya fue usado en otros partidos de fútbol.
La señal fue aprobada por la FIFA en 2023 como una forma universal de denunciar actos de racismo y comenzó a implementarse oficialmente en el Mundial Femenino Sub-20 de 2024. También apareció en el partido entre Benfica y Real Madrid, tras una denuncia contra el argentino Gianluca Prestianni por un presunto insulto racista a Vinícius Júnior.
(+) en Clarín: https://t.co/kbeuOSa2nc
Many people don’t know this, but the crossed-arms “X” signal is FIFA’s universal gesture for reporting racist abuse.
When a player, coach, or team official makes that signal, they’re informing the referee that racist abuse has occurred. It is meant to trigger FIFA’s three-step anti-racism protocol: first stop the match, then suspend it if the abuse continues, and ultimately abandon the match if it doesn’t stop.
Today, Egypt manager Hossam Hassan made the “X” gesture from the touchline. Instead of initiating the protocol, the referee booked Hassan with a yellow card and allowed play to continue.