Argentina Coach Breaks Silence on Officiating Criticism Amid Egypt Drama

In the Round of 16 matchup against Egypt, Argentina benefited from a VAR intervention when an Egypt goal was disallowed for a foul earlier in the play.

Earlier this week, the Egyptian Football Association issued a scathing message saying that, “What occurred during the match has understandably generated widespread frustration among our players, staff, and supporters, who expected the highest standards of officiating on football's biggest stage.”

However, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni believes the officials made the right call in the end, and dispelled any notion of “favoritism” to the only South American team left in the tournament.

“Honestly, people have been saying those kinds of things about Argentina for a very long time,” he said. “Back in 1986 [when Diego Maradona won the tournament], people also said Argentina received favorable treatment.”

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Scaloni went on to suggest the officials made it clear what would and would not be called during the tournament.

“The officiating has been very clear. Before the World Cup began, the referees showed everyone exactly how the rules would be interpreted. They said, ‘This is how it will be called. This is how it will be called.’ And that’s exactly what’s happened,” he said.

“Maybe sometimes people think a little more should have been called, or a little less. But there hasn’t been any change in interpretation. There isn’t another way to read it. Social media magnifies everything. That’s where the debates begin. But there hasn’t been any favoritism. Quite the opposite. Nowadays, it’s actually very difficult for favoritism to exist.”

Argentina faces off against Switzerland on Saturday night.

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This story was originally published July 11, 2026 at 11:36 AM.