During the intense World Cup match between Egypt and world champion Argentina on Tuesday, July 7th, many fans viewed the Egyptian team's defeat as a result of referee decisions and the VAR system, rather than poor player performance.
The Fate of Controversial Moments
The Egyptian team was extremely dissatisfied with several controversial decisions made against them, including the annulment of a second-half goal and a red card shown to a coaching staff member after a goal was scored. This controversial moment was not the first time VAR had been the center of discussion in the tournament hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada.
Previously, in the Iran versus Egypt group stage match, VAR disallowed a late Iranian goal due to offside during the build-up. Furthermore, in the England versus Ghana game, the African team took a penalty after a tackle in the box, but VAR did not overturn the referee's decision.
How the VAR System Works
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system is a tool to support officiating, allowing for the checking, review, and correction of clear and obvious errors during a match. This system was introduced by FIFA, the global governing body of football, and is used in over 300 competitions worldwide to ensure the correct outcome in critical situations.
According to FIFA statements, the use of VAR first occurred at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, marking an important milestone in the development of football officiating.
How VAR Functions
During each match, a specialized group of video referees (VARs), based in the Video Operations Room (VOR), can communicate directly with the head referee via an audio system. The VAR system is applied only in relation to five types of situations: goals (including build-up infringements), penalty decisions (including build-up infringements), red card incidents (including clearly incorrect second yellow cards), cases of mistaken identity, and clearly incorrect awarded corner kicks, if the decision can be changed immediately without delaying the resumption of play (this was added for use in the World Cup).
The VAR team continuously monitors the match, checking every key incident related to the relevant situations without interrupting the game. If a potential clear and obvious error is detected, the referee is notified and either receives evidence to make the actual decision or is called onto the field for a Review Off-Field (OFR) in cases requiring assessment and subjective judgment. The final decision always remains with the referee.
Controversial Moments in Egypt vs Argentina
In the match against Egypt, Mostafa Zico's goal was disallowed when the team was leading 1-0; VAR intervened to notice a foul on Argentine player Lisandro Martínez much earlier in the attack. The conflict did not end there: during the attack that resulted in Enzo Fernández's winning goal, Egyptians believe they should have been awarded a penalty for Alexis Mac Allister's tackle on Hamdi Fathi. Many other decisions by French referee François Lattesse were sharply criticized by the Egyptian team.
Comments from the Egyptian Coach
Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan stated that his team was 'cheated' out of the right to qualify for the World Cup quarter-finals and criticized the referee's decisions throughout the game. After the match, in an emergency press conference, Hassan spoke of a lack of respect or fair play, announcing his decision to boycott the remainder of the World Cup as a result. He emphasized: 'This is my own way of speaking out. I don't want to speak nicely and talk about bad luck. Today we were unfairly cheated, we suffered injustice.'
Hassan also sharply criticized FIFA and its current president Gianni Infantino, claiming he had ruined the game. He told BeIn Sports: 'Maybe they wanted to keep the world champions in the tournament. Maybe they wanted Messi to stay in the race.'
Argentina's Position
After the match, Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni did not comment on the criticism from Egyptian representatives regarding the referee's decisions or how VAR managed the game. Instead, he insisted that he never felt like the game slipped away from Argentina, despite the two-goal deficit for almost 80 minutes. He noted: 'I always felt the game was on our side. Besides the result, I don't think the team played badly. We had chances.'
Scaloni highlighted that the performance on Tuesday marked a significant improvement compared to the previous round, where Argentina needed 120 minutes to beat Cabo Verde 3-2, and the team showed signs of vulnerability in a tough physical test. Scaloni also praised his 39-year-old captain Lionel Messi, who missed a penalty in the first half and was seen crying after inspiring a comeback goal and assist. Despite the controversies, Argentina managed a stunning comeback during the game, reducing the deficit from 2-0 to 3-2 in approximately 13–14 minutes of playing time.
