ATLANTA (AP) 鈥� The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said Wednesday it 鈥渃annot remain silent鈥� after what it believes was unfair and biased officiating in Egypt’s against Argentina on Tuesday.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan and several players after being left in disbelief as Argentina scored three unanswered goals in 13 minutes to pull off one of the biggest comebacks in history.
鈥淒efending the rights and interests of the Egyptian national team is not a matter that can be ignored, minimized, or treated as secondary,鈥� the EFA said in a statement. 鈥淚t is a responsibility that we carry with full conviction and determination.鈥�
FIFA鈥檚 chief of refereeing Pierluigi Collina, in a statement issued later Wednesday, said while constructive discussion about decisions would always be part of football, 鈥渦nfounded allegations have no place in our sport.鈥�
鈥淣obody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen this happens, it may provoke reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is not right.鈥�
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 Mart铆nez early in the buildup up to the goal.
鈥淪everal key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game,鈥� the EFA statement read.
Collina said 鈥渄uring a competition, we prefer not to focus on specific incidents,鈥� but he defended the Attia decision.
鈥淚f 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,鈥� Collina said. 鈥淭here is no defined limit regarding either the distance from goal or the amount of time between the incident and the goal.鈥�
He said in the disputed case, Attia 鈥渃learly treads on the foot of Argentina No. 6 Lisandro Mart铆nez.鈥�
鈥淲e believe that a foul is a foul,鈥� Collina added. 鈥淩egardless of whether the foul appears 鈥榦bvious,鈥� if the referee did not see it on the field of play, the VAR can intervene.鈥�
Mostafa Ziko netted later to give Egypt a 2-0 lead, but all momentum shifted onto Argentina’s side when assisted Cristian Romero in the 79th minute 鈥� the first of three consecutive goals.
Hassan held his arms up in an 鈥淴鈥� 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.
鈥淓very 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.鈥�
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