Next World Cup Excitement

“Treated unfairly!” Egypt Files a Complaint

There are calls for the referee team to be dismissed.(Bild: AFP/ROBERTO SCHMIDT)

Following the refereeing controversy in their 2-3 loss to Argentina in the World Cup round of 16, the Egyptian Football Association is pushing for legal action. Association President Hany Abo Rida said after the game that he had filed a complaint against French referee Francois Letexier and his assistants. He also called for the refereeing team to be excluded from the tournament, claiming they had made crucial mistakes.

According to their federation president, the Egyptians are insisting on an investigation into what they view as controversial decisions that led to their World Cup elimination. In their view, Letexier and his team were instrumental in their defeat against the defending champions. Abo Rida cited not only glaring refereeing errors but also an obvious double standard as the reason for the complaint.

Immediately after the World Cup elimination, Egypt’s head coach Hossam Hassan had already leveled serious accusations: “We were treated unfairly today,” said the 59-year-old coach. “We have been wronged.” One incident that infuriated Hassan: Just before Argentina’s 3–2 winning goal by Enzo Fernández in the 92nd minute, his teammate Alexis Mac Allister had pulled on Egyptian player Hamdi Fathi’s jersey as he entered the Argentine penalty area. The Egyptians demanded a penalty kick, but Letexier let play continue, and the video assistant referee did not intervene either.

’sLong ListofControversial DecisionsControversial situations and criticism of refereeing performances abound at this World Cup. Argentina’s superstar Lionel Messi’s unpunished kick—delivered with an open sole from behind to Aissa Mandi’s calf—in the first group stage match against Algeria; the foul on Xaver Schlager before Argentina’s opening goal against Austria, which was neither seen nor challenged by VAR; the failure to call a penalty for Kylian Mbappé against Senegal; and Paraguay’s almost anarchic kicking in the Round of 16 against France—the list of wrong calls is long.

“The referees are simply not good enough. The fourth officials aren’t good enough. That’s the bottom line,” said England’s coach Thomas Tuchel after the Round of 16 match against Mexico. In that game, Tuchel’s defender Jarrell Quansah was rightly shown a red card after the video referee intervened. The referee hadn’t even called a foul yet. In the match against Ghana, the Africans should have been awarded a penalty kick after a clear foul by England’s Ezri Konsa. But the whistle never blew. Ghana’s coach Carlos Queiroz commented: “Once again, the VAR was asleep at the wheel. ... It was a clear penalty, a red card.”

Uzbek Tantashev let the game get too rough
Referees do not provide explanations afterward; they are not allowed to speak publicly during the tournament. That is reserved for Pierluigi Collina. FIFA’s head of refereeing has instructed referees to let the game flow whenever possible. Some referees interpret this rule rather overzealously. Perhaps the most extreme example is the Uzbek Ilgiz Tantashev, who caused a lot of head-shaking during the France vs. Paraguay match. Although the South Americans attacked the superior French team with punches and kicks far beyond what is permitted, they made it through the round of 16 without receiving a single yellow card. “That was the worst performance of this World Cup,” said former German referee and TV analyst Patrick Ittrich.

That said, the decision came a few days later from FIFA itself, not from a referee. Following a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Gianni Infantino, a FIFA decision caused worldwide consternation. Instead of a suspension, U.S. forward Folarin Balogun received only a suspended sentence following his red card in the round of 16. The U.S. was eliminated by Belgium even with Balogun on the field.