Egyptian international referee Amin Omar revealed details of his conversation with French referee François Letexier, who officiated the Egypt vs Argentina match in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The Egypt vs Argentina match in the round of 16 of the World Cup witnessed controversial decisions by the match referee, as a goal for the Egyptian national team was disallowed and a penalty was not awarded to the Pharaohs.
Amin Omar said during statements on "Nile Sport" channel: "The French referee, after returning to the referees' camp, was in a state of shock and bewilderment after the Egypt vs Argentina match, due to the volume of messages and calls (his phone was ringing) at the time".
He added: "The French referee asked me a question: How do you officiate matches in this country? I told him, these are simple things; in one match I did not award a penalty and had to turn off my phone for two months. He said to me (You are a hero, how do you endure all this?)".
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He continued: "The European referees did not know us, but after the matches we officiated, the treatment changed completely. Everyone started to know the Egyptian crew because of our performance".
He added: "They used to view us as being in Africa, from the third world, but after our performance in the matches and that we deliver a performance like theirs, and even better than them, things changed with us".
He continued: "In the Egyptian national team matches, I would turn into a third-rate fan, and during the match against Argentina when Yasser Ibrahim scored Egypt's goal, we were in the restaurant and we were happy even though Egypt's qualification meant we would be away from participating in the upcoming matches".
He concluded: "The Arab referees, Moroccans and Algerians, were cheering with us in the Argentina match and our voices were shaking the hotel".
