Egypt's Hossam Hassan says officiating 'unfair' and World Cup 'directed towards' reigning champions

Geraint, just tell us then, what have the Egyptian FA had to say about this?

He's not happy.No.He is not happy.Hassan Hassan, who is the manager of Egypt, I think we got a sense last night how annoyed they were with the officiating on the field of play.Having had a night's sleep, I don't think any of that annoyance, irritation, anger has dissipated at all.In fact, the Egyptian FA have released a statement.

Listen, I'm going to get you straight into it.What we've done is we've subbed it down because it is quite long, but let's get you into it so we can have a little look at what Hassan Hassan has said.Listen, the headline, Egypt deserves equal application of the laws of the game.I think that kind of, you know, does it, what it says on the tin there, Joe.The Egypt FA cannot remain silent regarding the refereeing decision to witness during the match against Argentina, as well as the failure to make appropriate use of the VAR system, as you alluded to just a little bit earlier.Several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influence the course of the game.

It goes on to say this as well now, is that a number of football experts and specialist analysts, both locally and internationally, have highlighted controversial and influential refereeing incidents during the game.That bit for me, Joe, is crucial.You mentioned there about the penalty not being given, the VAR not intervening.It goes on to say, match officiating particularly in a competition of the stature of the World Cup.I think they finally go on to say as well here the Egyptian FA quite short while it occurred what occurred during the match understandably generated widespread frustration among our players staff and supporters who expect the higher standards of officiating on the football's biggest stage.Joe if that is not the biggest pop at FIFA and the referees at FIFA so Pierluigi Colletti

and his team of referees on the pitch and the VAR who are all back in Dallas they're all in one sort of one place back in Dallas then I don't know what a pop or a dig at officiating is as I say angry at the end of the match clearly as well today still fuming that they've released a statement like that on the day as you say you saw the fans there wave them off back after an incredible performance during this World Cup but they feel like they probably should still be in the tournament.

Yeah this is not the first time that we're talking about the officiating either it's not the first time that yeah people have been talking about the officiating do they have a point?Do they have a point?In what they're saying?

Right not my job to say yes or no on this one however let's Let's pretend we're in a court of law here and put the pros and cons, the for and against.Right.It was Argentina last night.The accusation was as well, which came through last night, was they want to keep Messi in the tournament.Keep Lionel Messi in it.Right.

See this?Do you remember this?This was not from last night.This...

That.

That was from the game against Algeria in the group stages.Try and do this.Studs up on the back of a leg.What would you say that would normally elicit a response from the referee from?

Do you think he'd be going to his card?Yeah.

What colour do you think he might be getting?

Well, we saw it in the England game, studs up, didn't we?Red.Exactly.What happened there?Yeah.What happened there?

Nothing.

yeah okay he's he's giving him a pat on the back right studs up tackle on the back of the leg you know it's it's studs up everyone knows if you go in and it's not that you know you might get the you might get the um sort of the benefit of the doubt but studs up is studs up it's dangerous quite high up on the calf as well um so Messi got nothing in that game um there istalk in America is that the superstars, the players that the American public know, need to be in this tournament.Now, yesterday's crowd in the Argentina -Egypt game, there was a small pocket of Egyptian fans, mainly blue and white.Yes, they have incredible traveling support Argentina, but a lot of them were Americans wearing Argentina shirts because Lionel Messi, he's known to them, plays in Inter Miami, he's part of the fabric and people in America often don't necessarily tend to follow teams where they might follow individuals, Lionel Messi one of those.So is there this maybe even subconscious bias that the big superstars are being treated differently, maybe with a slightly more favorably, that if Lionel Messi makes a tackle like that, you know, you didn't mean it, tap on the back, somebody else does it, concert, red card.put it out there.

Right, here's another couple of stats for you, Joe.I've got to remember these as well.Right, we've been looking at the amount of sort of fouls of leading to yellow cards, for example.England, let's start with England.England have committed 54 fouls and they've been given seven cards, six yellows and one red.I'm not including Jordan Henderson, because that had nothing to do with the fouls.

So, 54 fouls, 7 cards in total, that goes every 7 .7 fouls, so every between 7 and 8 fouls England make, they're getting a yellow card.Argentina, on the other hand, more fouls, 59 fouls, only three cards, so that's every 19 .7 fouls they're getting a card.That is a big difference.And if you're thinking about Norway, England's next opponents as well, 48 fouls, two cards, so they only get a card every 24 fouls.England are getting a card between every seven and eight fouls that they make.What does that tell you?

I don't think it tells you England are getting a lot of cards for not many fouls.But in terms of maybe, you know, Argentina, they do tend to have a a physicality about them certainly we've seen though with with with Messi you could argue maybe is what a point i'm trying to make is there is there this subconscious bias towards maybe the superstars the well very famous well -known players being given a little bit of benefit of the doubt This guy has seen the officiating go against him and believes that Egypt were not treated on that level playing field, that equality that everyone should be getting in the World Cup, hence why he is not convinced at all.

Yeah, he's not convinced, Geraint.Let's hear from him now, because he did not mince his words after that defeat.Here is what he had to say.

We were the best in everything, but the result was...There were internal and external effects before the match.It's clear that the pressure on the referee before the match, on the Argentinian side, succeeded.They were opposed to the referee because it was France, not France, and France was elected.I want to say that not everyone in life walks the right path.Everyone gets tired.

As long as you walk the right path, you get tired.We walked the right path.We suffered and we were hurt by foreign factors.Argentina deserved to win.I promise that I will not watch football in a glass of wine, because there is no justice in it.

We were wronged today and everyone saw it.I will not talk about something like that.We lost 0 -0 after we won.against us and everything against us.I don't know why the second goal was cancelled.I don't see a reason for it.

But we have to find a solution so that the second goal doesn't come.He wanted to cancel it, but thank God he didn't succeed.

Everyone saw it.I'm not going to talk about it, but everyone saw it.The goal was cancelled and we had Baleen.Baleen responded to us with a goal.Honestly, I went into the room to gather all the players and talk to them.Bad luck, that's it.

I can't react to what happened, and I'm sorry for it.The future is good, God willing.