Hany Abu Rida, chairman of the Egyptian Football Association, announced overnight Tuesday into Wednesday that he would file a complaint with FIFA demanding an investigation into French referee François Letexier, who officiated Egypt's dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the World Cup round of 16 and controversially disallowed a goal for the Africans.
Abu Rida said the complaint would be submitted "following scandalous refereeing mistakes committed by the officiating team and their double standards, which led to Egypt's defeat and elimination from the World Cup." He added that he was demanding an investigation into the entire refereeing team, including the VAR referee.
"I will never watch the World Cup again"
"This is because of the mistakes and the insistence on not reviewing several incidents that we believe were in favor of the Egyptian national team. We believe the Pharaohs also scored a legitimate goal and deserved a penalty," the federation chairman said. Abu Rida also noted that he had asked for the referee and the entire officiating team to be removed from the World Cup.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan, who argued at the end of the match with fans holding an Israeli flag, was also furious in an interview with beIN Sports after the final whistle and made harsh remarks.
"What is happening here is unfair. This was an undeserved victory for Argentina. The moment I return to my country and my home, I will never watch the World Cup again, because there is no justice in this competition," he said.
