Kalasuara - An online petition demanding FIFA disqualify Argentina from the 2026 World Cup passed 10 million signatures on July 15, 2026, eight days after French referee François Letexier overturned an Egyptian goal using the video assistant referee system in a round-of-16 match in Atlanta. VAR, now used in every World Cup match, lets officials review decisions using video replay.

Argentina had trailed 2-0 in the July 7 match, with goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko, before scoring three times in the last 13 minutes to turn the game around: Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi, and Enzo Fernández's 92nd-minute winner. Messi had missed a first-half penalty after a foul on Nicolás Tagliafico, with Egypt's goalkeeper saving his shot. Late in the match, an Egyptian penalty claim also drew scrutiny after VAR did not review the incident, and Egypt's goalkeeper coach, Saafan Elsaghir, was sent off after teammates had to hold him back from approaching Letexier.

What got Egypt's goal overturned?

Mostafa Ziko's apparent goal in the 58th minute, which initially looked to put Egypt 2-0 up, was disallowed after a VAR review found that Marwan Attia had fouled Lisandro Martínez during the buildup, before the ball reached Ziko's feet. Ziko then scored a second, valid goal on a quick counterattack in the 67th minute, which stood and put Egypt 2-0 ahead. It was the disallowed first goal that triggered the wave of protest, with some observers arguing VAR had reached too far back into the buildup to overturn it.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan suggested there was a motive behind the decision. "Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running," he said after the match.

EFA urges FIFA to drop Letexier from the rest of the tournament

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA), led by president Hany Abo Rida, filed a formal complaint against Letexier and his assistants and asked that he not be assigned to officiate any more matches for the rest of the tournament. "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 said in an official statement.

If granted, the request would set a rare precedent for a national federation influencing a FIFA referee assignment.

FIFA denies bias but changes how VAR works

FIFA's head of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, rejected the bias allegations in a July 9 interview. "Constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport," he said. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni also denied the match had been fixed in his team's favor. "Today, it is simply impossible for referees to favor any side," he said.

Even so, FIFA changed its VAR protocol starting with the quarterfinals: every match now has a primary and backup VAR team working inside the stadium itself, rather than centrally from the video operation room (IBC) in Dallas. The change followed criticism over the Argentina-Egypt match and other incidents at the tournament, including Balogun clears suspension after Trump calls FIFA, US falls 4-1. Other automated review technology at the tournament, such as FIFA's 10-centimeter offside tracking system, has also faced close scrutiny since the group stage.