Argentina’s defence of the World Cup has been far from serene. In Atlanta, the champions overturned a two-goal deficit to beat Egypt 3-2 in the round of 16, with Enzo Fernández heading a stoppage-time winner. The result, however, was immediately contested. Egypt’s football association filed an official complaint to FIFA, demanding the removal of the officiating team and accusing the referee of a double standard. Coach Hossam Hassan said his side had been “treated unjustly” and suggested a motive: “Maybe they wanted the world champion to stay in the tournament. Maybe they wanted Messi to remain in the race.”

The flashpoints were numerous. A first-half goal by Mostafa Ziko was disallowed after VAR spotted a foot-on-foot contact by Marwan Attia on Lisandro Martínez at the start of the move. Egypt, already leading 1-0 at the time, scored again nine minutes later, but the sense of grievance hardened when two penalty appeals—one for a tangle between Hamdi Fathy and Alexis Mac Allister, another for contact on Mohamed Salah by Julián Álvarez—went unheeded before Fernández’s winner. Egyptian officials described the decisions as “gross refereeing errors” and pointed to what they saw as a pattern of leniency towards Argentina.

That pattern, viewed from Cairo and amplified across social media, draws on a series of incidents. In Argentina’s opening match against Algeria, Lionel Messi escaped any card for a heavy challenge on Aïssa Mandi; the Polish referee did not even award a foul, and VAR declined to intervene. Former professionals on US television called it a “100 per cent red card.” The disciplinary data has added fuel: Argentina have received only three yellow cards in the tournament, the second-fewest among quarter-finalists, despite committing the fourth-most fouls—an average of one card every 19.7 fouls, compared with England’s one every 6.8. FIFA president Gianni Infantino then told Argentine television he had “suffered with Argentina” during the Cape Verde match, a remark he later clarified as neutral well-wishing.

Structural decisions have also drawn scrutiny. The bracket, designed to keep the four highest-ranked teams apart until the semi-finals, has given Argentina a path through Cape Verde, Egypt and now Switzerland, ranked outside the top 15, while Spain have already faced Portugal and Belgium. The appointment of an entirely Argentine on-field refereeing team for France’s quarter-final against Morocco—a side many consider Argentina’s strongest rival—was met with widespread incredulity in European and African media. Analysts in London note that such optics, while not proof of manipulation, feed a narrative that stretches back decades: the 1978 tournament hosted by Argentina’s military junta, the 1990 water-bottle incident involving Brazil’s Branco, and the five penalties awarded to Argentina in Qatar 2022.

No credible evidence has been presented to support the claims of orchestrated favouritism. The Egyptian federation’s complaint is under review, but FIFA has not commented. Argentina, for their part, have simply advanced. They face Switzerland in the quarter-finals, a match that will be played under the shadow of a debate that shows no sign of fading.