Fans rage over 'controversial refereeing' after Argentina edge Egypt

CAPITAL CITY: Debate over refereeing dominated reaction to Argentina’s 3-2 win against Egypt in the World Cup last 16 on Tuesday, with social media users, pundits and former players questioning a series of decisions made during the match.

Much of the online criticism focused on the use of the Video Assistant Referee, after Egypt had a goal chalked off following a review for a foul earlier in the move. Commentators online also pointed to incidents involving Argentina that they said were not subjected to the same level of scrutiny, while an apparent foul on Mohamed Salah was also cited by critics as an example of uneven decision-making.

Argentina, the defending champions, advanced to the quarter-finals after edging a determined Egyptian side, but the result was quickly overshadowed by complaints that the officiating had affected the contest. French referee François Letexier became a particular focus of anger on X, where users described his performance in severe terms and questioned FIFA’s handling of the game.

Reaction on social media

Posts shared widely on X accused the officials of disadvantaging Egypt and undermining confidence in VAR.

"Egypt was robbed here VAR went for a coffee breaking leading to Argentina 3:2"

Another user cast doubt on the system itself. "If VAR is going to be used as selectively and subjectively as it was used in the Argentina and Egypt game tonight, then the World Cup is a lost cause. No one can really trust the integrity of the tournament anymore."

One of the most-circulated reactions said the officiating had damaged perceptions of the result rather than Argentina’s footballing quality.

"Shameful refereeing and a disgrace to Messi’s legacy. Argentina doesn’t need this kind of help. Egypt may have lost on the scoreboard, but they won the respect of football fans around the world"

"Emam getting punched in the face, no one batted an eye. Argentina making the EXACT SAME FOUL Egypt made but in the box, no one batted an eye. Yellow cards are getting thrown out for what reason? It was shamelessly obvious they didn’t even try to hide it. Disgusting ref," another viral post read.

A further post described the game in even stronger language. "They’re calling it the most rigged match of all time oml, Egypt was COOKING and then this REF be turning blind eyes to Argentina’s fouls and giving Egypt cards for BREATHING."

Criticism beyond fans

Former players and television pundits also criticised the officiating, calling it inconsistent at best. While they acknowledged Argentina’s ability to come back and win, they said the refereeing controversy had taken attention away from what had otherwise been an entertaining knockout match.

The discussion also resonated with Pakistani football followers, many of whom supported Egypt because of regional affinity. Users on local forums and X said the match reflected what they described as big-team bias in major international tournaments.

The backlash has prompted renewed calls from analysts for FIFA to revisit its VAR procedures and apply them more consistently in major matches. At the time Dawn filed its report, FIFA had not released a detailed statement on the officiating. Despite the loss, Egypt received broad praise for stretching the title holders, while Argentina moved on to the quarter-finals with the refereeing debate still hanging over the result.