“Perhaps there was a desire to keep the reigning champions in the tournament,” Hassan remarked following his team’s elimination.
Egypt manager Hossam Hassan has asserted that his team was unfairly denied a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals, after Argentina mounted a dramatic late recovery from two goals down to secure a 3-2 victory in a tense round-of-16 clash in Atlanta.
Despite entering as underdogs, the Pharaohs opened the scoring against the world champions within the first 15 minutes and extended their advantage in the second half, only for Argentina to overturn the result on Tuesday.
“I refuse to sugarcoat this or attribute it to misfortune. We were plainly cheated today; we have been treated unjustly,” Hassan declared during a heated post-match press conference.
Egypt saw a strike from Mostafa Zico nullified while leading 1-0, after the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) identified a foul on Lisandro Martínez earlier in the buildup.
Zico later appeared to put Egypt on the verge of a historic quarterfinal appearance by doubling their lead.
Yet the defending champions responded: Cristian Romero pulled one back, and Lionel Messi—whose first-half penalty had been saved—drilled in the equalizer, his eighth goal of the tournament.
The disputes persisted, as Egypt contended they should have been awarded a penalty for Alexis Mac Allister’s tug on Hamdy Fathy during the sequence that led to Enzo Fernández’s decisive goal.
“We witnessed no respect or fair play. None whatsoever,” Hassan stated.
“A clear penalty was waved away without VAR review. A second goal was inexplicably disallowed. There wasn’t even a VAR check for what everyone saw—the shirt being pulled back.”
Hassan indicated he would not view any further matches in the competition, citing the perceived unfairness.
“I will not continue watching this World Cup,” he added.
“This is how I choose to voice my protest.”
‘They wanted Messi to stay’
After Yasser Ibrahim’s header gave Egypt the lead, Argentina were awarded a penalty for a foul on Nicolás Tagliafico.
Messi’s struggles from the spot at World Cups continued when Mostafa Shobeir saved his attempt.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or recipient has now missed four of his eight non-shootout penalties at the World Cup, including two at the current finals.
Hassan suggested the match officials may have faced pressure to retain one of the tournament’s marquee figures.
“Perhaps they wished to keep the world champions alive. Perhaps they wanted Messi to remain in contention,” he told BeIN Sports.
“In football, external factors sometimes transcend the tactical side. The champions received backing at all levels.”
Egypt adopted an unexpectedly aggressive approach early on, a shift from Hassan’s typical strategy of compact defending and counterattacks.
While the approach yielded an early advantage, it was goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir’s saves that preserved their lead until halftime.
“I am extremely proud of the players’ effort. Most of our squad comes from the Egyptian domestic league, whereas many opponents feature Europe-based professionals in a full-time environment,” Hassan noted.
“Yet, with largely local players—apart from Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush—we proved we could match anyone.”
Hassan also criticized the scheduling of the noon kickoff (16:00 GMT), just four days after both teams had advanced from the round of 32.
“Whoever planned this has never played the game. You don’t set a match for midday. At noon you take a stroll or have brunch, not play football.
“When are the players meant to eat? At 7:30 in the morning?
“Numerous aspects, on and off the field, deserve scrutiny.”
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