Egypt formally asked FIFA to kick Argentina out of the argument surrounding François Letexier’s handling of Tuesday’s 3-2 Round of 16 loss. The complaint followed six stoppage time cautions, a red card to Saafan El-Sagheer and a disallowed goal after VAR review.
Hossam Hassan accused the officials of racism and of favoring Lionel Messi and Argentina. That charge sits alongside Egypt’s complaint, turning a postmatch dispute into a formal challenge that now sits with FIFA.
François Letexier and Egypt
Letexier was the referee in the match that ended Egypt’s Round of 16 run. Egypt’s complaint targets his handling of the game, with the stoppage-time cautions and the red card to Saafan El-Sagheer among the decisions that drew the sharpest reaction.
The disallowed goal became the other flashpoint. VAR changed that sequence, and Egypt left the field with its strongest objection focused on how the review altered the match at a decisive moment.
FIFA and the referee dispute
FIFA now has the complaint in front of it. The practical issue is not whether Egypt objected — it did — but whether FIFA treats the filing as grounds for action or leaves the match result untouched.
Didier Deschamps said, “You could ask questions, certainly,” and added, “Some refereeing decisions lead to discussions. But our opponent is Morocco, not the referee. We want the referee to apply fairly the laws of the game.” He also said, “We just hope [Tello] and his crew will be as good as Letexier and his.”
France and Morocco in quarterfinals
The dispute arrived as France and Morocco were set to meet in the quarterfinals on Thursday, with Facundo Tello and his assistants assigned to that match. Mohamed Oahbi said, “A very experienced referee, and that is what we want for these type of matches,” and added, “Very calm. In general, I would say we have had good referees.”
That assignment keeps refereeing at the center of the World Cup conversation. Morocco had its own grievance in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after a 2-0 loss to France, when it believed César Ramos failed to award a penalty kick, and France entered this stage with a 5-0-0 record after a 1-0 victory over Paraguay.
