Former Egypt coach Marco Tardelli has accused match officials of helping Argentina reach the 2026 World Cup final.
The Italian’s remarks revived the debate that followed the holders’ controversial win over the Pharaohs.
Speaking on Rai 1’s Notti Mondiali before Sunday’s World Cup final, Tardelli questioned Argentina’s route through the knockout stages.
“Argentina had to reach the final, and certain referees got them there,” Tardelli said. “It seems they have friends in high places.”
The 1982 World Cup winner did not identify any officials or provide evidence for his allegation.
Tardelli’s comments follow several refereeing disputes involving Argentina during the tournament. The most significant controversy for Egypt came during the round-of-16 meeting in Atlanta.
Egypt led 2-0 before Argentina scored three times in the final 11 minutes to win 3-2. However, the Pharaohs disputed several decisions by French referee Francois Letexier and his VAR team.
VAR advised Letexier to disallow a goal by Mostafa Ziko with Egypt leading 1-0. Officials identified a foul by Marwan Attia on Lisandro Martinez earlier in the attacking move.
Ziko later doubled Egypt’s lead, but Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi brought Argentina level. Egypt then demanded a penalty after Julian Alvarez challenged Mohamed Salah inside the area.
Letexier allowed play to continue, and Argentina launched the attack that produced Fernandez’s stoppage-time winner.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan described the officiating as unfair and claimed the tournament was “directed towards Argentina”. The Egyptian Football Association also questioned the consistency of the decisions and VAR’s application.
FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina subsequently rejected allegations of bias. He said VAR correctly identified Attia’s foul before Ziko’s disallowed goal.
Collina also backed the decision involving Salah and Alvarez. Officials viewed the incident as normal contact after Alvarez played the ball.
“Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials,” Collina said in a FIFA interview. He added that nobody, including FIFA’s president, could influence the refereeing team.
Tardelli coached Egypt during their 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign in 2004. The EFA dismissed him after a 2-1 defeat away to Libya damaged the Pharaohs’ qualification hopes.
Argentina will face Spain at the New York New Jersey Stadium after beating England 2-1 in the semi-finals. Lionel Scaloni’s side came from behind through late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez.