Officials were biased in World Cup loss to Argentina: Egypt Football Association

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ATLANTA — The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said Wednesday it “cannot remain silent” after what it believes was unfair and biased officiating in Egypt’s 3-2 round of 16 loss against Argentina on Tuesday.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan and several players criticized the officiating after being left in disbelief as Argentina scored three unanswered goals in 13 minutes to pull off one of the biggest comebacks in World Cup history.

“Defending the rights and interests of the Egyptian national team is not a matter that can be ignored, minimized, or treated as secondary,” the EFA said in a statement. “It is a responsibility that we carry with full conviction and determination.”

FIFA’s chief of refereeing Pierluigi Collina, in a statement issued later Wednesday, said while constructive discussion about decisions would always be part of football, “unfounded allegations have no place in our sport.”

“Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials,” he said. “When this happens, it may provoke reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is not right.”

The EFA said that the referee failed to use the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system appropriately, leading to the loss to Argentina.

Egypt appeared to have netted its second goal in the 58th minute, but a VAR review determined that Marwan Attia had fouled Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez early in the buildup up to the goal.

“Several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game,” the EFA statement read.

Collina said “during a competition, we prefer not to focus on specific incidents,” but he defended the Attia decision.

“If a foul is identified in the build-up and is deemed to have had an impact on the goal, the VAR will recommend an on-field review,” Collina said. “There is no defined limit regarding either the distance from goal or the amount of time between the incident and the goal.”

He said in the disputed case, Attia “clearly treads on the foot of Argentina No. 6 Lisandro Martínez.”

“We believe that a foul is a foul,” Collina added. “Regardless of whether the foul appears ‘obvious,’ if the referee did not see it on the field of play, the VAR can intervene.”

Mostafa Ziko netted later to give Egypt a 2-0 lead, but all momentum shifted onto Argentina’s side when Lionel Messi assisted Cristian Romero in the 79th minute — the first of three consecutive goals.

Hassan held his arms up in an “X” shape to signal racial abuse after Argentina’s game-winner two minutes into stoppage time. After the game, Hassan said his team was the victim of a soccer establishment that favored Messi and Argentina.

In the dramatic climax to the game Egypt’s goalkeeping coach Saafan Elsaghir was red-carded and several yellow cards were dished out to Egyptian players. The EFA’s statement said that a number of experts and analysts have defended Egypt, underlining the importance of integrity, fairness and transparency in officiating on soccer’s biggest stage.

The EFA statement expressed the frustration among Egypt players, staff and supporters.

“Every player who wears the Egyptian shirt, and every supporter who stands behind the team, deserves fairness, respect, and equal application of the laws of the game.”

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Maura Carey, The Associated Press