Egypt coach Hossam Hassan did not hold back after his team was eliminated from the World Cup on Tuesday. Argentina came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in Atlanta and advance to the quarterfinals. Hassan said his players were wronged at every turn.
"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 a post-match news conference, according to Al Jazeera.
Egypt took the lead within 15 minutes and doubled it in the second half. A Mostafa Zico goal was ruled out by VAR in the first half for a foul on Lisandro Martinez earlier in the move. Zico later made it 2-0, but Argentina responded through Cristian Romero before Lionel Messi equalized in the 83rd minute. Enzo Fernandez scored the winner two minutes into stoppage time.
Hassan said Egypt should have been awarded a penalty in the buildup to Fernandez's goal, pointing to what he described as a shirt pull by Alexis Mac Allister on Hamdy Fathy. "A penalty was ruled out, was not even checked by VAR. A second goal was remarkably disallowed. There has not even been a VAR check when we have all seen the image of the [shirt] being pulled back," he said.
Hassan also speculated about pressure on the officials. "Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running," he told BeIN Sports. "In football, there are sometimes external factors that go beyond the technical aspects. The world champions received support at every level."
Messi had a penalty saved by Mostafa Shobeir in the first half. It was the fourth time in non-shootout World Cup situations that Messi has failed to convert from the spot, including two misses at this tournament.
Hassan said he would not watch any further World Cup matches. "I am not going to continue following the matches of this World Cup. This is my own way of speaking up."
Beyond the scoreline, Hassan crossed his arms in an "X" during the closing minutes, activating FIFA's antiracism protocol. The gesture should have prompted the referee to stop play and address the incident, but the whistle was only blown to end the match.
Reaction from across the Arab world was supportive of Egypt. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi thanked the team for an "honourable performance." "We are proud of you and your achievement, and the future is brighter for you," he wrote on X.
Hassan had previously carried a Palestinian flag onto the pitch when Egypt beat Australia in the round of 32. "I'm saying to them: I'm dedicating this victory to the Egyptian people and Palestinian people, those kind and honourable people," he had said after that win.
Argentina now advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face Switzerland on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
