'They Want Messi To Stay': Coach Feels Egypt Were 'Cheated' In World Cup Loss To Argentina

Last Updated:July 08, 2026, 05:21 IST

Egyptian coach also alleged that the match officials had come under pressure to ensure one of football's biggest stars, Lionel Messi, remained in the tournament.

Egypt faced Argentina in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match on Tuesday (July 7) and suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat. The Egyptians were leading 2-0 until the 78th minute, but Argentina scored three goals over the next 14 minutes to complete a dramatic comeback and book their place in the quarterfinals. After Egypt were knocked out of the FIFA World Cup, head coach Hossam Hassan blasted FIFA and claimed his team had been cheated.

“I do not want to put it nicely and talk about hard luck. We have been cheated unfairly today; we have suffered injustice," Hassan said in the post-match press conference.

In Egypt’s Round of 16 match against Argentina, Mostafa Ziko’s goal was ruled out for a foul in the build-up, but there was no VAR review when Enzo Fernández scored the winner for Argentina in the 90+2nd minute.

According to the Egyptian players, they should have been awarded a penalty after Alexis Mac Allister allegedly pulled Hamdy Fathy’s shirt in the build-up to Enzo Fernández’s goal.

“We haven’t seen respect or fair play. There has not been respect or fair play," Hassan said.

“A penalty was ruled out and was not even checked by VAR. A second goal was remarkably disallowed. There was not even a VAR check when we all saw the image of the shirt being pulled back," he added.

The Egyptian coach also alleged that the match officials had come under pressure to ensure one of football’s biggest stars, Lionel Messi, remained in the tournament.

“We looked better than the reigning champions—better in every aspect—but the result was influenced by internal factors on the pitch and external factors off it," Hassan said.

“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running."

“In football, there are sometimes external factors that go beyond the technical aspects. The world champions received support at every level," he added.

About the Author

Harshit BishtSenior Sub-editor

Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist at CNN-News18, where he has been covering cricket, football, and major sporting events from around the world since July 1, 2024. Driven by a passion for storytelli...Read More

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