The fallout from the controversial match between Egypt and Argentina in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup continues, after the Egyptian Football Association filed an official complaint against French referee Francois Letixser.
According to the French newspaper L'Équipe, FIFA will not automatically respond to the Egyptian Football Association's request to exclude Letchestrator and his refereeing team, explaining that the appointment or exclusion of referees remains within the jurisdiction of FIFA's Referees Committee, and not in response to requests from national federations.
In contrast, the newspaper indicated that the referees committee will review all the controversial refereeing decisions that occurred during the Egypt-Argentina match, as part of the usual evaluation of referees' performance in the tournament.
The report added that any decision that might be taken regarding Letchestrator will be based on the results of this technical assessment, and not on the Egyptian complaint itself, whether it concerns his continued participation in the tournament or his removal from officiating other matches.
The match between Egypt and Argentina witnessed widespread objections from the Egyptian side, who felt that the French referee made significant mistakes, most notably canceling a goal for the Pharaohs and not awarding a penalty kick at the crucial moment, while others considered that his decisions were in line with the rules of the game.
Following the match, the Egyptian Football Association demanded an official investigation into the performance of the refereeing team, while coach Hossam Hassan strongly criticized the referee's decisions, considering that they affected the result of the match, which ended with Argentina winning 3-2 and qualifying for the quarter-finals.
