World Cup 2026: Retired FIFA referee Jihad Grisha claims Egypt suffered “clear refereeing injustice” against Argentina

Former FIFA referee and Vice President of the Referees Committee of the Egyptian Football Association, Jihad Grisha, has claimed that the Egyptian national team was subjected to “clear refereeing injustice” during their FIFA World Cup round-of-16 clash against Argentina.

The North African football powerhouse suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat to the South American giants after surrendering a two-goal lead, but Grisha believes several officiating decisions during the match raised serious concerns.

Speaking on Mega FM, Grisha said: “The Egyptian national team was subjected to clear refereeing injustice, but things were obvious from the beginning, when Messi deserved to be sent off in his first match in the World Cup.”

He added: “There are disasters that are being overlooked, and the whole world has been talking about the injustice and refereeing errors in this edition of the World Cup, and I understand the strong objections of the technical staff of the Egyptian national team against Argentina.”

Grisha, however, admitted that some key decisions made by the referee during the match were correct, including the cancellation of Egypt’s second goal and Argentina’s early penalty award.

“Canceling Egypt’s goal was the right decision, and Argentina’s penalty kick at the beginning was also the right decision, but regarding Mohamed Salah’s ball at the end of the match, why didn’t the VAR call the referee? But if this ball had been outside the penalty area, the referee would have canceled the goal and called a foul,” he said.

“The problem is that the ball was inside the penalty area, and there are many things that happen in the appointment of referees in the World Cup, and certain interventions, but this is our fate as Egyptians,” Grisha added.

The former referee also questioned the process of appointing officials for World Cup matches, claiming that external influences play a role.

“The appointment of referees in the World Cup requires interventions from governments, national federations and ministries, and things are managed in a certain way. Egyptian referees performed well in the World Cup, and the standard for appointments in the tournament is not accurate,” he explained.

Grisha further argued that Egyptian officials deserved more opportunities at the tournament, adding: “It is illogical to appoint Egyptian referees for only two matches, and I do not expect Hossam Hassan to be penalized, because FIFA and the whole world are convinced that the Egyptian national team has been subjected to refereeing injustice.”