Egypt Coach Alleges FIFA Favored Messi, Ignites Row After Argentina Defeat

‘FIFA Wanted Messi to Stay’: Egypt Coach Hossam Hassan Makes Explosive Bias Claim After Argentina Win

Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan has sparked a major controversy after accusing FIFA of favoring Lionel Messi and Argentina following his team’s dramatic 3-2 defeat in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 on Tuesday.

Egypt looked on course for one of the tournament’s biggest shocks after storming into a 2-0 lead and dominating large spells of the match. However, Argentina mounted a sensational late comeback, with Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez scoring three goals in the final stages to book a place in the quarter-finals.

Despite praising his players’ performance, Hassan questioned the fairness of the result, suggesting external influences played a role in Argentina’s comeback.

“We were better than the world champions in every department, but the result was influenced by internal factors on the pitch and external factors off it,” Hassan said after the match.

“Maybe they wanted the defending champions to remain in the tournament. Maybe they wanted Messi to continue. Sometimes football is decided by things beyond tactics and performance. The world champions received support at every level.”

VAR Calls Leave Egypt Furious

Hassan’s criticism largely focused on a series of VAR decisions that Egypt believes changed the course of the game.

The biggest talking point came in the 59th minute when Mostafa Ziko’s goal was ruled out after a VAR review. Egypt also felt Mohamed Salah should have been awarded a penalty after an alleged foul inside the box.

The visitors further argued that Alexis Mac Allister committed a foul in the build-up to Enzo Fernandez’s injury-time winner, but no VAR review was conducted.

“There was no respect or fair play,” Hassan said.

“Our penalty wasn’t even checked by VAR, while our second goal was disallowed. We all saw Salah’s shirt being pulled, yet there wasn’t even a review.”

‘There Is No Justice in This Competition’

Hassan later doubled down on his remarks during an interview with beIN Sports, revealing what he told the referee after the final whistle. “I told the referee that what happened was unfair. It was an undeserved victory for Argentina,” he said.

“When I return home, I will never watch the World Cup again because there is no justice in this competition.” The Egypt coach had earlier been booked during the match for protesting a refereeing decision from the touchline, highlighting the growing frustration within the Egyptian camp as Argentina completed its comeback.

Hassan’s explosive allegations are expected to come under FIFA’s scrutiny, with the governing body likely to review his post-match comments. His remarks have already ignited widespread debate over the officiating and VAR decisions in Argentina’s dramatic victory.