Double standards appeared from the French referee François Letexier, who officiated the Egypt vs Argentina match in the 2026 World Cup competitions, as he did not hesitate to deprive the Pharaohs of a penalty kick moments before Enzo Fernández's goal.
The Egyptian national team bid farewell to the World Cup finals, with a loss to Argentina by a score of (3-2), which took place within the round of 16 competitions, and was held on the pitch of Atlanta Stadium in the United States of America.
And after a few days of the tension that accompanied the suspension of Folarin Balogun, the American national team player, by a decision from the International Football Association, the situation worsened with the French referee François Letexier, who eliminated the Pharaohs with his whistle.
A whistle that deprived Egypt of a historic qualification
While the Egyptian national team was leading the score against Argentina with a clean goal, the Pharaohs were given the opportunity to double the score, which was actually achieved by the 58th minute of the match.
Marwan Attia, the Egyptian national team midfielder, succeeded in dispossessing the ball from the Argentine player, sending a long ball that reached Haitham Hassan, who executed a dribble before passing to Mohamed Salah.
Mohamed Salah sent a through ball to Mustafa Zico, who succeeded in beating the net of Emiliano Martínez, the Argentine goalkeeper, so the Egyptian national team striker celebrated by taking off his shirt, before facing what was not expected.
The match referee returned to the video technology to review the ball's journey before it settled in the Argentine net, so the Frenchman acknowledged the existence of a foul on Marwan Attia, by which he deprived the Pharaohs of a goal to widen the difference.
A scandal that overthrew the Pharaohs
The Egyptian national team was subjected to clear injustice during the final minutes of its match against Argentina, when Mohamed Salah was subjected to a foul inside the penalty area, without the match referee taking any decision regarding what happened.
And while the score indicated a positive tie with two goals for each, the ball rebounded to the Argentine national team, which succeeded in scoring the third goal, through a header by Enzo Fernández.
And although the foul that Mohamed Salah was subjected to was identical to what happened with the Argentine player, and the Pharaohs were deprived because of it from a goal to widen the difference, the referee insisted on not returning to the video technology, not paying attention to the demands of the Egyptian national team technical staff.
And matters did not stop at this point, to complete the scene with the warning of the duo Hamdy Fathy and Mustafa Shobier, in addition to Saafan Al-Sagheer, the goalkeepers' coach, after the trio demanded a return to the video technology.
Hossam Hassan exploded in anger after the match referee's decisions that overthrew the Egyptian national team outside the World Cup, and dashed his dreams to receive his share of cards from referee François Letexier.
The match referee's return to the video technology was sufficient to see the foul committed against Salah, which would have required granting the Pharaohs a penalty kick, with the cancellation of the Argentine national team's killer goal.
See also
Shock and bewilderment in the "Fan Zone" after Egypt's loss to Argentina and World Cup exitEmotional reaction from Egyptian fans after Shobier's brilliance and saving Messi's penalty
Palestinian flag next to the Egyptian flag while watching the Argentina matchCrazy joy for Egyptian national team fans after Yasser Ibrahim's first goal against Argentina
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