Egypt have lodged a formal complaint with FIFA over refereeing decisions in their dramatic 3-2 last-16 defeat to Argentina in Atlanta. The Egyptian FA is also demanding that referee Francois Letexier be removed from the remainder of the World Cup 2026, with head coach Hossam Hassan declaring the tournament "directed towards Argentina" and vowing not to watch another match.

Three pivotal incidents fuel the protest: Julian Alvarez tackled Mohamed Salah inside the box without a VAR review moments before Enzo Fernandez's 92nd-minute winner; Alexis Mac Allister hauled down Hamdi Fathy in the area with play waved on; and Zico had a goal chalked off for a foul on Lisandro Martinez when Egypt led 1-0. Argentina scored three times in 13 minutes to avoid a shock exit.

The Egyptian FA statement cites a "failure to make appropriate use of VAR" and questions the "consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game." Hassan was booked for crossing his arms — the FIFA signal for a racist incident — while protesting the winner. Argentina now face Switzerland in the quarter-final on Sunday.

This complaint escalates the tournament's officiating crisis. Multiple high-stakes decisions went against one side in a knockout match, and the governing body's response will set a precedent for how VAR accountability is handled at this World Cup. Egypt's federation has made clear it expects structural changes, not just apologies.