"We lost due to marketing purposes"; Hossam Hassan slams World Cup refereeing

• Hossam Hassan accused referee François Letexier of influencing Egypt's 3–2 defeat for "marketing reasons."
• Hassan criticized a VAR decision that disallowed Mostafa Ziko's goal and a late penalty appeal involving Mohamed Salah.
• Imam Ashour and Egypt's coaching staff also claimed inconsistent officiating and missed fouls by Argentina.

Egyptian National Team Manager Hossam Hassan launched a fierce assault on French referee François Letexier following the Pharaohs' heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the World Cup Round of 16, explicitly claiming that his team was eliminated due to corporate and commercial interests.

Hassan asserted that the match completely lacked officiating integrity, arguing that football’s governing authorities heavily favored Argentina’s progression to safeguard the tournament's financial viability.

Disallowed goals and unreviewed penalties

The Egyptian camp's outrage centered on an asymmetric application of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system during high-stakes moments in the second half.

Midfielder Imam Ashour highlighted the 31st-minute strike by Mostafa Ziko, which was completely overturned after a lengthy VAR review cited a marginal buildup foul by Marwan Attia against Lisandro Martínez near the Egyptian penalty area.

The friction reached a breaking point during second-half injury time. Inside the Argentine penalty box, Egyptian captain Mohamed Salah sustained a heavy stamp on his foot while Omar Marmoush was visibly pulled back by his jersey. Letexier waved play on, allowing Argentina to launch an immediate, box-to-box counterattack finished by Enzo Fernández for the 3-2 winner. Despite furious pleas from the Egyptian players, the VAR booth completely refused to pause the match or review the clear fouls that preceded the decisive goal.

Furious post-match confrontation 

Following the final whistle, the pitch escalated into chaotic altercations between the Egyptian delegation and the officiating crew.

Letexier immediately brandished a red card against Egyptian Goalkeeping Coach Saafan El-Sagheer and engaged in heated verbal shouting matches with Hassan and several senior players.

"The match lacked absolute justice," Hassan stated in his post-match address, highlighting that the refereeing authorities clearly wanted Argentina to advance, which manifested in vastly different physical leniency guidelines on the pitch.

Double standards

Ashour echoed his manager's sentiments, pointing out that Egyptian players were swiftly penalized with yellow cards for minor physical challenges, whereas heavy defensive tackles by Argentine players were treated with persistent leniency.

The exit has ignited widespread condemnation across North African sports media, with fans and football pundits unifying against what they describe as blatant institutional double standards to preserve marquee stars at the expense of sporting equity.