The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has formally asked FIFA to remove the officiating crew from the ongoing World Cup, following Egypt's 3-2 last-16 elimination by Argentina in Atlanta.

EFA president Hany Abou Rida submitted a complaint to football's world governing body, calling for an investigation into French referee Francois Letexier and his entire crew over what the association described as "serious refereeing mistakes" and "double standards" during the match.

The disputed moments

Egypt were leading 1-0 in the second half when VAR disallowed a goal from Mostafa Zico. The ruling came after midfielder Marwan Attia was penalised for stepping on Lisandro Martinez's foot at the beginning of the move — a decision that infuriated the Egyptian camp.

The EFA also pointed to a separate incident in which Mohamed Salah appeared to be fouled inside the Argentina penalty area in the moments just before Argentina broke forward to score a stoppage-time winner and complete a 3-2 comeback victory.

In its official statement, the EFA accused the officiating team of "blatant errors" and of "insisting on not reviewing some of the footage," alleging discrimination against the Egyptian national team. The association formally demanded the exclusion of the referee and his entire crew from the remainder of the tournament.

Reaction from the Egypt camp

Manager Hossam Hassan was candid after the final whistle, saying Egypt had been "treated unfairly" and had "suffered injustice." He suggested the decisions may have been motivated by a desire to keep reigning champions Argentina — and Lionel Messi — alive in the competition.

Zico, whose disallowed goal proved pivotal, was even more direct: "The referee was really unfair. The injustice was clear. There's been an unfairness right from the start of the match. It is clear that this tournament has been fixed."

Argentina captain Messi, who could be appearing in his final World Cup, assisted his side's opening goal in the 79th minute and equalised in the 83rd minute to turn the tie in Argentina's favour. Argentina next face Switzerland in Kansas City on Saturday.

Egypt, who have never progressed beyond the last 16 of the World Cup, exit the tournament after a match that will provoke debate long after the final whistle. FIFA had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.