Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan accused FIFA of letting Lionel Messi and Argentina remain at the World Cup after his team’s dramatic 3-2 defeat in the round of 16 on Tuesday, claiming the defending champions had “supported at every level” during their remarkable comeback.

Egypt looked set to pull off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history after taking a 2-0 lead and maintaining control until the closing stages. But Argentina staged a spectacular comeback, with Cristian Romero, Messi and Enzo Fernandez scoring three goals in 13 minutes. Win 3-2 and secure a place in the quarter-finals.

The collapse infuriated the Egyptian camp, with Hassan insisting his side had overpowered the world champions and were claiming The result was influenced by factors beyond football.

“We looked better than the defending champions, were better in everything, but the result was influenced by internal factors on the pitch and external factors off it,” Hasan told reporters after the match.

“Maybe they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Maybe they wanted Messi to stay in the race. In football, sometimes there are external factors that go beyond the technical aspects. The world champion had support at every level.”

War decisions spark anger in Egypt

Egypt’s frustration was centered on a series of controversial moments, with the biggest flashpoint coming in the 59th minute when Mustafa Zico’s goal was ruled out by VAR, a decision Hassan believes changed the course of the match.

The spectators were also angry at the absence of a penalty after Mohamed Salah was fouled inside the box. He further argued that Alexis McAllister committed a foul in the build-up to Enzo Fernandez’s stoppage-time winner without any VAR intervention.

“It seems that there is pressure from Argentina on this result. We were objecting to the selection of the referee because of the French position.” [Argentina beat France in the 2022 World Cup final]But everyone has to suffer sometimes, and we suffered,” Hassan said.

“We haven’t seen respect or fair play. A penalty was disallowed, it wasn’t even checked by VAR, and our second goal, remarkably, for whatever reason, was disallowed. We’ve all seen shirts pulled back and not even VAR checked.”

“Life is unfair, normal life is unfair, so why isn’t there fairness in sports?”

“I want to put it in beautiful words and say tough luck, but we’ve been treated unfairly, and that’s an injustice.”

‘I will never watch the World Cup again’

Hassan later doubled down on his criticism in an interview with beIN Sports, revealing what he told the referee after the final whistle and saying that the events had left him disillusioned with the tournament.

Hassan said, “I told the referee that what was happening was not fair. It is an undeserved victory for Argentina.”

“Once I return to my country and home, I will never watch the World Cup again, because there is no justice in this competition.”

The Egypt coach had already been booked during the match after displaying a FIFA anti-racism sign in protest of a refereeing decision, reflecting growing frustration on the touchline during Argentina’s comeback.

Hassan’s comments are expected to be investigated by FIFA, with the governing body also likely to review his comments after the match. The allegations have already sparked widespread debate and disciplinary action against the Egypt coach cannot be ruled out.

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