Hossam Hassan: “We were treated unfairly so that Messi could stay in the tournament”

The Round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt at the World Cup sparked major controversy. Although the reigning champions won 3-2 to advance to the quarter-finals, the Egyptian side is expressing fierce dissatisfaction with the officiating. The Egyptians were leading by two goals during the match but ultimately suffered defeat. This is reported by Goal.com reports .

Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan emphasized in his post-match interview that his team was a victim of “systemic injustice.” He believes that referees and organizers took every measure to ensure that the tournament's main star, Lionel Messi, would not leave the competition. Hassan openly stated that external pressures influenced the match result more than technical factors on the pitch.

Officiating controversy and doubts over the VAR system

The Egyptians' complaints are mainly focused on two situations. The first is a disallowed goal when the score was in Egypt's favor, and the second is a foul committed before the winning goal scored by Enzo Fernandez late in the match. According to Hossam Hassan, even though Alexis Mac Allister clearly pulled an opponent's shirt, the VAR system did not deem it necessary to review the incident.

“We were superior to the reigning world champions in every aspect, but the result changed due to factors on and off the pitch. Perhaps they wanted Lionel Messi to stay in the race. Sometimes in football, there are external forces that outweigh technical aspects. Argentina was supported at every level,” the Egyptian coach said bitterly.

The Egyptian side also stated that they had opposed the referee appointment before the match started. They were concerned that the selection of the referee could work in Argentina's favor. During the match, the failure to award a penalty for a foul on Mohamed Salah, and the fact that the situation was not even reviewed, further angered the Egyptian players.

Egypt striker Mostafa Zico also supported his coach's views. He said that after the 2-0 lead, “incomprehensible events” began to occur on the pitch. Although goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir showed heroism by saving a penalty from Lionel Messi during the match, the final result was tragic for the team. The Egyptians consider this defeat contrary to sporting principles.