EGYPT COACH SAYS ‘MARKETING SUPPORT’ KEPT ARGENTINA IN WORLD CUP

Wed 08 July 2026:

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan on Tuesday claimed his side suffered an “unjust defeat” to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup round of 16 because of “marketing support” intended to keep the defending champions in the tournament.

Hassan criticized French referee Francois Letexier after Egypt’s 3-2 defeat, saying the match lacked fairness and that the result was influenced by “marketing reasons.”

“We suffered an unjust defeat,” Hassan told reporters. “There is support for the world champions from every direction – marketing support. They wanted the previous world champions to stay in the tournament. They wanted Messi to stay.”

Hassan said Egypt outperformed Argentina for much of the match but claimed factors beyond football affected the outcome.

__________________________________________________________________________

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22

__________________________________________________________________________

“We were better than the world champions in everything, but there were factors on and off the pitch that affected the result,” he said.

Egypt forward Mostafa Zico also criticized the officiating after the match.

“The referee was unfair and wasted the efforts of an entire nation,” Zico said. “From the beginning of the match, he was against us. The tournament is already directed.”

Hassan insisted his team were better.

“I’m going home and won’t be watching any more games from the tournament,” he told a press conference.

“What happened to us wasn’t fair. We should have had a penalty, a goal was disallowed, and I don’t know why it was disallowed.

Egypt netted in the 62nd minute through Mostafa Zico, but a VAR check found there was a foul from the Egyptians in the buildup.

They also claimed a late penalty after a tug on Hamdy Fathy, and their anger was exacerbated by Argentina going down the other end and scoring a 92nd-minute winner.

“Even if the goals came from mistakes, the biggest mistake is not getting what you’re entitled to from those responsible for making the decisions,” said Hassan, whose press conference was a long litany of complaints.

“I’m the type of person who hates losing. And when it’s a defeat that feels unjust like today’s, I can only tell the fans not to be upset. We wanted so much to give them more joy,” he added.

“But what made me happy was that my players followed the game plan on many occasions and worked very well.”

Egypt had been surprisingly attacking early on in the game, a departure from Hassan’s usual tactic of playing with a tight defence and looking for counter-attack opportunities.

It helped them take an early lead, but it was the heroics of goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir that ensured they remained in front by halftime.

“I’m very, very satisfied with the effort they put in. Most of our players come from the Egyptian domestic league, while many players in other national teams are based in Europe and live in that professional environment,” Hassan added.

“Yet with predominantly local players – besides Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush – we were able to compete with anyone.”

Zico apologized to Egyptian fans, saying the players had hoped to bring joy to the country.

Argentina came from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2, with Enzo Fernandez scoring the stoppage-time winner to send the defending champions into the quarterfinals.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

__________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22