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Egypt calls for exclusion of French referee François Letexier from 2026 World Cup
via SeneNews4 min read
The Egyptian Football Federation has formally requested that FIFA exclude French referee François Letexier from the remainder of the 2026 World Cup. This demand follows Egypt's 3-2 loss to Argentina in the round of 16, where the federation, through its president Hany About Rida, cited "flagrant refereeing errors" and the application of a "double standard" that allegedly led to Egypt's defeat. The federation has called for an investigation into Mr. Letexier, his assistants, and the video assistant referees, requesting that they no longer officiate in the tournament. They specifically highlighted Mr. Letexier's refusal to review certain actions, which they believe should have resulted in a valid goal and a penalty for Egypt. During the match, a goal by Egyptian forward Mostafa Zico was disallowed after VAR intervention due to an initial foul. Egyptians also believe they were denied a penalty in added time for a shirt pull on Hamdy Fathy and contact between Mohamed Salah and Julian Alvarez in the box, just before Argentina's third goal. Egypt's coach, Hossam Hassan, stated after the match that the refereeing was "neither fair nor equitable" and suggested that pressure from the Argentinian side influenced the outcome.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by SeneNews.
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