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New World Cup clip shows Egypt coach screaming in Scaloni's face as Argentina boss refuses to react after VAR storm
The footage adds another chapter to one of the tournament's most controversial matches.
The controversy surrounding Argentina's dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt in the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup continues to produce fresh flashpoints. A day after the VAR decisions in Atlanta sparked accusations of bias and prompted an official complaint from the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), a fresh video surfaced on social media showing just how heated emotions remained after the final whistle.
In the clip, which quickly went viral, furious members of Egypt's coaching staff are seen confronting match officials inside the tunnel after the game. Moments later, as Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni walked towards the dressing room at Atlanta Stadium, Egypt boss Hossam Hassan appeared to scream animatedly in his direction. Scaloni, however, simply walked past without engaging, barely acknowledging the confrontation.
The footage adds another chapter to one of the tournament's most controversial matches. Argentina recovered from 2-0 down to score three goals in the final 13 minutes and book their place in the quarterfinals, but the refereeing decisions have continued to dominate the post-match narrative.
What happened?
Egypt thought they had doubled their lead in the 58th minute when Mostafa Ziko finished off a brilliant counterattack after excellent work from Mohamed Salah. However, VAR intervened and ruled out the goal for a foul by Marwan Attia on Lisandro Martínez nearly 100 yards from the Argentina goal during the attacking build-up.
While the decision left Egypt furious, what angered them even more was the perceived inconsistency in the use of VAR. Moments before Enzo Fernández scored Argentina's winner, Egypt appealed for a penalty after Salah went down inside the box following slight contact on his boot, but the incident was not reviewed.
After the match, Ziko vented his frustration while speaking to TSN through a translator.
"It was not fair from the referee. It was really not fair. That was very clear. He wasted all of our efforts with his decisions. We were leading 2-0 and we could do nothing. It's all up to God.
"We are so sorry. We wanted to make you all happy. It was not on the cards. It was the referee. Congratulations to Argentina on the second Cup."
Egypt's protests did not end there. On Wednesday, the Egyptian Football Association lodged an official complaint with FIFA against referee François Letexier and his officiating team, reportedly seeking explanations for the controversial decisions, calling for an investigation into the match, and requesting that the French referee be removed from the remainder of the World Cup.
