ATLANTA — Egypt manager Hossam Hassan won't watch the rest of the 2026 World Cup.
That is what he said after being eliminated from the World Cup in a 3-2 loss to Argentina on Tuesday, July 7.
And it makes sense. Why would he watch a competition that, to hear him tell it, is rigged, set up to allow a storybook ending for 39-year-old Argentina star Lionel Messi. That had to be why his team allowed three late goals and fell in the World Cup round of 16.
Nothing to do with their defensive shape. Nothing to do with the Argentina attack. Nothing to do with Omar Marmoush getting stood up in the 91st minute as Egypt broke forward, like they'd done much of the game. The fix is in.
"The referee was no fair. The injustice was clear," Egypt forward Mostafa Zico said immediately after the game according to a BBC translation. "A 2-0 lead isn’t enough to beat Argentina. It’s clear the tournament has been fixed."
The coach took three questions in his post-match news conference: Two about the referee sandwiched around one asking if his support for the people of Palestine, expressed before the match, may have led to the French referee to rule against his team.
Egypt fans and Messi haters are all talking about officiating decisions and corruption. Few are talking about how Egypt went into the 78th minute with a 2-0 lead in a World Cup knockout match and were unable to even force extra time.
It's true that FIFA is an organization with no shortage of issues.
Even earlier in the week, the Disciplinary Commission suspended the one-game ban Folarin Balogun would have served after being sent off in the United States' round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a decision with plenty of legitimate questions about how the process came about. While FIFA President Gianni Infantino claimed he wasn't involved, and it was entirely in the hands of the commission, U.S. President Donald Trump told a different story.
Cristiano Ronaldo benefited from a similar decision before the tournament, and, yes, Argentina benefitted too, with veteran center back Nicolas Otamendi also on the list of players given a reprieve.
These types of decisions, which modify rules already in place, create more of a problem of trust than anything that happened within the lines over the weekend. But they also make it that much easier for a manager to feel that he's the victim of an off-field plot.
The unusual suspension of Balogun's one-match penalty opened the door for complaints like the ones Egypt lodged after the game to echo. That, combined with the presence of Messi, whose success and level of fame mean he'll always be a flashpoint, meant it was a storm that spilled over into the mainstream discussion outside the sport.
Egypt's FA said in a statement released Wednesday, July 8, that it "cannot remain silent." It shouldn't have to, and it should get answers.
What should FIFA do with Egypt's frustration?
FIFA is an organizaiton whose lack of transparency foments the sort of conspiracy-minded thinking that boils over when there are flashpoints like there were Tuesday.
With many leagues around the world happy to release the audio of their video review discussions and college football conferences in the U.S. even letting viewers hear the chat between the on-field official and the replay booth live, there's no reason for FIFA not to release the tapes.
The decision to have Pierluigi Collina give an interview to the official FIFA website and explain what he felt were the correct calls is a good start.
FIFA also could provide more insight into the referee selection process, including explaining why an all-Argentine crew was selected for France's quarterfinal against Morocco after Egypt's iffy suggestion that a French ref would favor Argentina in hopes of setting up a 2022 final rematch. Referee assigners consider a number of factors when selecting what crew will call a match – with nationality and which confederation the referee hails from playing a huge part as do language, temperament and experience with a certain team.
Egypt should get answers, but it may not like what it hears.
Are FIFA referees favoring a certain World Cup team?
In any competition, there are questions about whether or not the organizers of that competition favor a better financial outcome with the most commercially viable teams moving on at the expense of teams that may not be as lucrative.
It is fair to say that the immensely popular Messi and Argentina sell more tickets in the U.S. than Egypt and get much better TV ratings worldwide even than a team led by its own star Mohamed Salah.
But why did all three host nations get bounced at the round of 16? Why did Messi's eternal foil Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal not get a helping hand to win the group and set up a game against Argentina – one of the most lucrative commercially matchups in history? Who let the Swiss into the quarterfinals?
Egypt did not get North African solidarity from Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi, who said Wednesday that he had "nothing to say about the quality of referees. For me, they’re at the level. We don’t get into that because we know that the referees do the best possible."
The reality of the situation is generally, as Collina said Wednesday, "Match officials make honest decisions and, just like players and coaches, they always try to do their best."
There are, of course cases in soccer and other sports of referees involved in match manipulation. There are officials who are simply bad at their jobs. But at this stage of a tournament as under-the-microscope as the World Cup, the organizers are working to put the best officials on the best games and have a fair sporting contest.
Is the World Cup perfect? Hardly. Is it still magical? Absolutely.
Hassan won't be watching, but those who do tune in will still enjoy a legitimate spectacle.
Source: USA Today
