Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan has declared that he will not watch another match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after accusing match officials of denying his side justice in their dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina.
The Pharaohs looked on course for one of the tournament’s biggest upsets after taking a twogoal lead before Lionel Messi inspired Argentina’s remarkable comeback with a goal and an assist as the defending champions snatched victory deep into stoppage time.
But while Argentina celebrated a place in the quarterfinals, Hassan insisted the result had left him disillusioned with the tournament.
“I promise that I will not watch football in this World Cup because there is no justice in it,” Hassan told reporters after the match.
“I will not watch another match at this World Cup. When I go back home, I will not watch it. I will not watch any team.”
The former Egypt striker launched an extraordinary attack on the officiating, claiming several key decisions went against his side during the contest.
He argued that Egypt should have been awarded a second half penalty, questioned the decision to disallow what would have been a second goal before VAR intervention, and claimed the officials ignored crucial incidents in Argentina’s penalty area.
“There is no credibility in what happened,” Hassan said.
“We had the right to win. Argentina did not deserve to win.”
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The Egypt coach also suggested outside influences affected the officiating, alleging pressure had been placed on the French referee before kick-off.
“It is clear that the pressures put on the referee before the match succeeded,” he claimed.
Despite his anger over the result, Hassan praised his players for pushing one of the tournament favourites to the limit.
The Egyptian squad featured predominantly players from the domestic league, yet they came within minutes of eliminating the reigning world champions before Argentina struck twice late on to complete an astonishing turnaround.
“I thank my players. I am proud of them,” Hassan said.
“We faced some of the most expensive players in the world with local players, and we were the better team.”
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The defeat ended Egypt’s World Cup campaign, but Hassan believes his players have earned global respect despite falling short.
“We came out with honour,” he added.
“I am proud of my country, proud that I am an Arab and African nation. We deserved much more from this match.”
