On July 7, 2026, FIFA must review the World Cup Round of 16 match between Egypt and Argentina and order a rematch so the Egyptian National Team can receive the fair result they were denied.
What happened at Atlanta Stadium was not just a bad call. It changed the match, the mood, and the meaning of the game for millions of football fans. Egypt played with heart, discipline, and belief. The Egyptian Pharaohs outplayed the reigning world champions and took a deserved lead, only for the match to turn on a controversial VAR decision in the 58th minute.
With Egypt leading 1-0, Mostafa Ziko scored what looked like a clean breakaway goal that would have put Egypt up 2-0. The stadium erupted, and the moment felt like history. But referee François Letexier disallowed the goal after VAR intervention, citing a highly subjective foul by Marawan Attia on Lisandro Martínez that happened far from the goal and well before the finish. Many fans and refereeing experts have said this was not the kind of clear and obvious error that should overturn such an important goal.
This decision, along with the heavy physical fouls Egypt faced during the match, took away Egypt’s chance to play for a historic quarterfinal place on equal terms. When a World Cup match is decided by confusion instead of fair play, the damage goes beyond one team. It weakens trust in the game itself.
We call on FIFA and the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) to formally protest this match, launch a thorough and independent investigation into the VAR abuse in the 58th minute, and grant an official replay between Egypt and Argentina. Football should be decided on the pitch, not taken away by controversy.
We want a Rematch and a review into this biased referee.
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
July 11, 2026
Reached 100 supporters
July 10, 2026
July 8, 2026
Sign the Petition!!
105 Comments
if egypt got disallowed for that 2nd goal, when haissem hassan switched bodies with messi, a little push stopped the goal from being allowed. but argentinas 3rd wasn’t disallowed despite a clear foul on salah before the counter? absolute disgrace of a refereeing performance. egypt were robbed in broad daylight, quite literally.
In the current light of the situation it won't be wrong to say that we can expect more of such biased refereeing in the upcoming games which can include the penultimate stage of this world cup, the final. It is important for the right team to win every fixture to maintain fairness in the tournament. This could have been a big leap for Egyptian and African football had they carried on the momentum of the win with them to next games. A rematch is the least that FIFA can do to pay Egypt back.
Because this is my country and this is our national team that lost unjustly, because the hearts of 120 million Egyptian citizens have been broken, not to mention the countless numbers of other nationalities, both Arab and foreign, because the dreams, aspirations, and joy of millions of people and nations have been shattered, because of the tears that soaked their pillows that night. These people have turned away from football and FIFA and hated them because of the injustice they witnessed.
in justice
It was the worst and most suspicious refereeing I have ever seen.
Egypt did their best and their goal was eliminated. And they were given yellow and red cards, while Argentina got nothing (for the same foul)
the argentinian team don't deserve special treatment and that disgusts me to my core
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Decision Makers:
FIFA
On July 7, 2026, FIFA must review the World Cup Round of 16 match between Egypt and Argentina and order a rematch so the Egyptian National Team can receive the fair result they were denied.
What happened at Atlanta Stadium was not just a bad call. It changed the match, the mood, and the meaning of the game for millions of football fans. Egypt played with heart, discipline, and belief. The Egyptian Pharaohs outplayed the reigning world champions and took a deserved lead, only for the match to turn on a controversial VAR decision in the 58th minute.
With Egypt leading 1-0, Mostafa Ziko scored what looked like a clean breakaway goal that would have put Egypt up 2-0. The stadium erupted, and the moment felt like history. But referee François Letexier disallowed the goal after VAR intervention, citing a highly subjective foul by Marawan Attia on Lisandro Martínez that happened far from the goal and well before the finish. Many fans and refereeing experts have said this was not the kind of clear and obvious error that should overturn such an important goal.
This decision, along with the heavy physical fouls Egypt faced during the match, took away Egypt’s chance to play for a historic quarterfinal place on equal terms. When a World Cup match is decided by confusion instead of fair play, the damage goes beyond one team. It weakens trust in the game itself.
We call on FIFA and the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) to formally protest this match, launch a thorough and independent investigation into the VAR abuse in the 58th minute, and grant an official replay between Egypt and Argentina. Football should be decided on the pitch, not taken away by controversy.
We want a Rematch and a review into this biased referee.
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
July 11, 2026
Reached 100 supporters
July 10, 2026
July 8, 2026
Sign the Petition!!
105 Comments
The VAR Decision Was Not “Clear and Obvious” – It Robbed Egypt of Momentum Egypt earned a deserved lead through disciplined play and heart against the reigning champions. Mostafa Ziko’s goal in the 58th minute (building on their 1-0 advantage) would have made it 2-0 and likely shifted the game decisively. Instead, VAR intervened over a highly subjective foul by Marawan Attia on Lisandro Martínez — an incident far from the play, well before the goal, and not called live by the referee.  Experts
if egypt got disallowed for that 2nd goal, when haissem hassan switched bodies with messi, a little push stopped the goal from being allowed. but argentinas 3rd wasn’t disallowed despite a clear foul on salah before the counter? absolute disgrace of a refereeing performance. egypt were robbed in broad daylight, quite literally.
In the current light of the situation it won't be wrong to say that we can expect more of such biased refereeing in the upcoming games which can include the penultimate stage of this world cup, the final. It is important for the right team to win every fixture to maintain fairness in the tournament. This could have been a big leap for Egyptian and African football had they carried on the momentum of the win with them to next games. A rematch is the least that FIFA can do to pay Egypt back.
Because this is my country and this is our national team that lost unjustly, because the hearts of 120 million Egyptian citizens have been broken, not to mention the countless numbers of other nationalities, both Arab and foreign, because the dreams, aspirations, and joy of millions of people and nations have been shattered, because of the tears that soaked their pillows that night. These people have turned away from football and FIFA and hated them because of the injustice they witnessed.
in justice
It was the worst and most suspicious refereeing I have ever seen.
Egypt did their best and their goal was eliminated. And they were given yellow and red cards, while Argentina got nothing (for the same foul)
the argentinian team don't deserve special treatment and that disgusts me to my core
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The VAR Decision Was Not “Clear and Obvious” – It Robbed Egypt of Momentum Egypt earned a deserved lead through disciplined play and heart against the reigning champions. Mostafa Ziko’s goal in the 58th minute (building on their 1-0 advantage) would have made it 2-0 and likely shifted the game decisively. Instead, VAR intervened over a highly subjective foul by Marawan Attia on Lisandro Martínez — an incident far from the play, well before the goal, and not called live by the referee.  Experts