Egyptian referee Amin Omar revealed details of his conversation with his French counterpart Francois Letixser regarding his management of the Egypt-Argentina match in the round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The match between the Egyptian and Argentinian national teams witnessed exciting events and difficult refereeing decisions. The "Tango" turned their two-goal deficit until the 79th minute into a victory over the "Pharaohs" with three goals to two in the final minutes, leading to harsh criticism of the refereeing team by the Egyptian side.
It is worth noting that the Italian Pierluigi Collina, head of the referees committee at FIFA, had defended the decisions of the French referee whom he appointed to take charge of that match.
Amin Omar spoke about what transpired between him and Letkser during his visit to the Youth Development Center at the Egyptian Gezira Club, where he was being honored by the General Federation of Young Workers after his appearance in the 2026 World Cup.
Amin Omar said: "Littacques was severely shocked, as he received a million messages on his phone, and he also closed his social media accounts."
He added: "After that game, he returned from Dallas to Miami and stayed in the hotel for 3 days without participating in training."
The French referee spoke to Amin Omar about the events of the Egypt-Argentina match, saying to him: "You are a hero, how do you manage matches in this country - Egypt?!.. Why did I award a penalty kick and then turn off my phone for two months?!".
Omar jokingly replied, "We are capable of dealing with anyone," indicating his disregard for the criticism directed at the rulers.
