Imam Ashour Criticizes Refereeing After World Cup Exit

Egyptian star Imam Ashour voiced his displeasure with the refereeing decisions following the 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, emphasizing that Egypt was denied a penalty that could have changed the course of the match.

Ashour stated: "I honestly don’t know what to say... The goal Argentina scored against us came after a clear penalty for us, 100%! It’s obvious and everyone saw it!" This was in reference to the controversial moment that preceded Argentina's winning goal in the final minutes.

The match featured several contentious officiating decisions, including Egypt's calls for a penalty and the disallowance of a goal after a VAR review, which sparked significant reactions among fans and media after the match.

Despite exiting the tournament, Egypt delivered a commendable performance against the defending champions, taking a two-goal lead before Argentina managed to turn the result around in the closing minutes to secure a 3-2 victory and advance to the quarter-finals.