France
MoroccoThu 9 Jul, 23:00Quarter-finals FranceMorocco
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Ibrahim Hassan, the manager of the Egyptian national team, described the refereeing errors witnessed in the Pharaohs' match against Argentina in the 2026 World Cup as "corruption with premeditation and intent".
The Argentine national team defeated its Egyptian counterpart by three goals to two in the match that brought the two teams together yesterday evening, Tuesday, at Atlanta Stadium in the United States of America, as part of the round of 16 in the 2026 World Cup.
Ibrahim Hassan said in statements to MBC Egypt channel: "They ruined our joy.. We thought we would leave the tournament with our heads held high, but we left feeling oppressed, and if we had lost on the field naturally and honorably, we would not have felt this pain".
He added: "All the players and members of the technical staff feel great bitterness, because we see that we have been wronged since the beginning of the match, and if the clips are replayed, grave refereeing errors will appear; the opposing players were clearly pushing our players before the ball arrived, and the referee sees that and does not award anything".
He continued: "We were talking to the referee and the fourth official, but there was no response; on the contrary, we were constantly being threatened on the field, with the distribution of yellow cards, and even the expulsion of Saafan Al-Sagheer, the goalkeepers' coach, and a yellow card to Hossam Hassan, the head coach".
He concluded: "What happened was injustice and corruption with premeditation and intent, and it was not just a coincidence.. I feel that there was a prior decision that the match would end in this way".
He continued: "There are video clips that show very strange things; after Argentina's goal, one of the senior FIFA officials appeared expressing his joy at the goal before quickly correcting himself".
He added: "I saw another clip of an official wearing a formal suit standing next to the referee observers, and he too celebrated the goal with a clear hand gesture. These scenes are documented with video and photos".
Hassan expressed his dissatisfaction with the events of that match, saying: "Where is the principle of fair play they talk about? I never imagined something like this would happen in the World Cup.. I feel they are crushing the ambitions of teams seeking to prove themselves on the global stage. Is the goal only for certain teams to remain in the spotlight, while teams that strive and fight to appear honorably and please their fans are fought against?"
He pointed out: "Can what we faced today satisfy anyone? Hamdi Fathi was subjected to shirt-pulling inside the penalty area and deserved a penalty, as did Mohamed Salah.. As for our disallowed goal, the Argentine player fell quickly and claimed a foul, then quickly got up because he knew nothing had happened".
He added: "What happened was unnatural injustice, and naturally, we cannot do anything, because African and Asian teams seem to have no power or influence, while FIFA knows in advance who it wants to give the advantage to".
He continued: "Even the best player award is sometimes given in a way that raises astonishment; how can a player who plays in a league that no one watches get it with only 3 people? - referring to Lionel Messi - Everything that happens, in my opinion, is not natural".
Ibrahim Hassan concluded his statements by saying: "I confirm that we were wronged.. I am not thinking about myself, but about my country, my team, our work as a technical staff and players, and the fans who were waiting for joy.. They ruined all our joy, and I do not know for whose interest this is happening".