The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has formally petitioned FIFA over what it described as "discriminatory" officiating during Egypt's dramatic Round of 16 defeat to Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

In a statement, EFA President Hany Abo Rida accused French referee François Letexier and his officiating team of making crucial decisions that unfairly influenced the outcome of the match and ultimately led to Egypt's elimination.

Egypt looked set for a place in the quarter-finals after establishing a two-goal lead, but suffered a dramatic collapse as Argentina scored three times in the final 13 minutes. Goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernández completed a remarkable comeback for the South American champions.

In its complaint, the Egyptian federation pointed to two major incidents it believes were wrongly handled by the match officials.

The first involved the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) overturning Mostafa Ziko's goal in the 59th minute for a foul during the build-up. The EFA argued that a similar infringement was ignored in the build-up to Fernández's stoppage-time winner, describing the decisions as inconsistent.

The second centred on a penalty appeal after Mohamed Salah was allegedly brought down inside the area shortly before Argentina scored the decisive goal. The federation maintained that the incident should have been reviewed by VAR.

"The French referee's fatal mistakes and double standards caused Egypt's defeat and World Cup elimination," Abo Rida said.

The EFA has called on FIFA to launch a comprehensive investigation into the referee, his assistants and the VAR officials. It also urged the world football governing body to suspend the officiating team from the remainder of the tournament if they are found guilty of misconduct.