What FIFA says about a referee being sent home from the tournament after the Egyptian FA asked for it
Egypt’s tough 3-2 loss to Argentina stirred up a lot of debate, and the referee at the center of it all, Francois Letexier, is now being looked at by FIFA.
It was one of the most exciting games of the World Cup so far. Argentina, the defending champions, made an amazing comeback on Tuesday to reach the quarter-finals. Egypt had a two-goal lead with only 11 minutes left, but goals from Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi tied the game. Then, in the 93rd minute, Enzo Fernandez scored the winner, pushing Argentina through by the narrowest margin.
Argentina will now face Switzerland next. While the South American team is celebrating, Egypt is upset about some referee decisions made by Letexier during the match. For example, Mostafa Zico had a goal taken away after VAR ruled there was a foul earlier in the play. Egypt also felt Mohamed Salah was fouled in Argentina’s penalty area just before the winning goal.
Feeling wronged, several Egyptian players and coaches came onto the field to argue with Letexier. After the game, manager Hossam Hassan and Zico said the match felt “fixed” and “unfair.” The Egyptian Football Association even released a strong statement against the referee’s decisions and asked for all the officials to be removed from the World Cup. FIFA will now investigate.
French news outlet L’Equipe reports that although FIFA rules don’t allow teams to pick or reject referees before games, FIFA’s referee team will review the video and decide if Letexier should keep refereeing in the tournament. Egypt would see it as a small win if he is taken off.
But the dispute wasn’t just about the calls on the field. During the match, Hassan was shown a yellow card and made an ‘X’ gesture toward the referee. This gesture often signals reporting racist abuse, although it’s not clear if that was the reason this time. Hassan didn’t explain the gesture, instead criticizing the officials heavily.
“We didn’t see respect or fair play,” Hassan said. “A penalty was wrongly ruled out, and another penalty situation wasn’t even checked by VAR. One goal was disallowed for no clear reason. It feels like there was pressure on the referee from Argentina’s side.”
He added, “Life isn’t fair, and the world isn’t fair. But why should sports be any different? I don’t agree with how this match ended or was managed.”
In the final minutes, Egypt’s lead slipped away, ending their dream of reaching the quarter-finals and making their best World Cup run yet.