NEW WORLD CUP CLIP SHOWS EGYPT COACH SCREAMING IN SCALONU'S FACE AS ARGENTINA BOSS REFUSES TO REACT AFTER VAR STORM

The footage adds another chapter to one of the tournament's most controversial matches.

The controversy surrounding Argentina's dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt in the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup continues to produce fresh flashpoints. A day after the VAR decisions in Atlanta sparked accusations of bias and prompted an official complaint from the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), a fresh video surfaced on social media showing just how heated emotions remained after the final whistle.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan looks dejected after the match following their elimination from the World Cup (REUTERS)

In the clip, which quickly went viral, furious members of Egypt's coaching staff are seen confronting match officials inside the tunnel after the game. Moments later, as Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni walked towards the dressing room at Atlanta Stadium, Egypt boss Hossam Hassan appeared to scream animatedly in his direction. Scaloni, however, simply walked past without engaging, barely acknowledging the confrontation.

The footage adds another chapter to 🕐 of the tournament's most controversial matches. Argentina recovered from 2-0 down to score three goals in the final 13 minutes and book their place in the quarterfinals, but the refereeing decisions have continued to dominate the post-match narrative.

What happened?

Egypt thought they had doubled their lead in the 58th minute when Mostafa Ziko finished off a brilliant counterattack after excellent work from Mohamed Salah. However, VAR intervened and ruled out the goal for a foul by Marwan Attia on Lisandro Martínez nearly 100 yards from the Argentina goal during the attacking build-up.

While the decision left Egypt furious, what angered them even more was the perceived inconsistency in the use of VAR. Moments before Enzo Fernández scored Argentina's winner, Egypt appealed for a penalty after Salah went down inside the box following slight contact on his boot, but the incident was not reviewed.

After the match, Ziko vented his frustration while speaking to TSN through a translator.

"It was not fair from the referee. It was really not fair. That was very clear. He wasted all of our efforts with his decisions. We were leading 2-0 and we could do nothing. It's all up to God.

"We are so sorry. We wanted to make you all happy. It was not on the cards. It was the referee. Congratulations to Argentina on the second Cup."

Egypt's protests did not end there. On Wednesday, the Egyptian Football Association lodged an official complaint with FIFA against referee François Letexier and his officiating team, reportedly seeking explanations for the controversial decisions, calling for an investigation into the match, and requesting that the French referee be removed from the remainder of the World Cup.

- Aratrick Mondal

NIGERIA/MADAGASCAR: AFCON 2027 QUALIFIERS - SUPER EAGLES TO FACE MADAGASCAR, TANZANIA, G-BISSAU

Nigeria's quest to qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations received a major boost yesterday after the Super Eagles were drawn against familiar foes Madagascar, Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau in the qualifying series for the continental tournament.

The draw ceremony was held at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association in Cairo, Egypt, where the continent's national teams discovered their opponents for the qualification campaign.

The Nigeria national football team, now under the guidance of head coach Éric Chelle, were placed among the seeded teams for the draw following their strong standing in African football rankings. Their seeded status ensured they avoided several of the continent's traditional heavyweights in the preliminary phase.

On paper, the group appears favourable for the three-time African champions, with many Nigerian football observers expecting the Super Eagles to secure qualification without major difficulty. However, the draw also presents potentially tricky encounters against opponents capable of causing surprises.

Guinea-Bissau, in particular, has become a familiar foe for Nigeria in recent years. The West Africans have faced the Super Eagles in previous AFCON qualifying campaigns and earned a reputation as a disciplined and difficult side to break down.

Tanzania, one of the co-hosts of the 2027 tournament, will also be eager to impress despite already being assured of participation in the finals as hosts. Their growing football profile and home support could make them dangerous opponents during the qualifiers.

Madagascar, meanwhile, remain one of African football's unpredictable sides. The island nation stunned the continent during the 2019 AFCON in Egypt when they reached the quarter-finals in their maiden appearance at the tournament, defeating more fancied teams along the way.

Only the top two teams from the group will qualify automatically for the 2027 AFCON finals, increasing the importance of every fixture in the round-robin campaign.

The qualification series will be played across three FIFA international windows. Matchdays one and two are scheduled to hold between September 21 and October 6, 2026, while matchdays three and four will take place from November 9 to 17, 2026.

The final round of fixtures, comprising matchdays five and six, will be played between March 22 and 30, 2027, bringing the qualification race to a close.

The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations itself will make history as the first edition of the tournament to be jointly hosted by three countries -- Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

The tournament is scheduled to run from June 19 to July 17, 2027.

For Nigeria, the objective remains clear: qualify convincingly and mount a serious challenge for a fourth AFCON title after falling short in recent editions. With a squad packed with established internationals and emerging talents, expectations will be high for the Super Eagles to dominate the group and head to East Africa as one of the favourites for the continental crown.

- Affa Acho

EGYPT APPOINTS HOSSAM HASSAN AS HEAD COACH AND HIS TWIN BROTHER AS TEAM DIRECTOR

AP Photo

 CAIRO (AP) — Egypt has put twin brothers in charge of its national soccer team with Hossam Hassan taking over as coach and Ibrahim Hassan as team director.

The Egyptian Football Association said Tuesday that Hossam Hassan — the country’s all-time top-scorer with 68 goals — will succeed Portuguese coach Rui Vitória, whom it fired Sunday after the team’s disappointing performance at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Egypt, which has won a record seven Africa Cup titles, failed to win a game in the 34th edition of the tournament and was knocked out by Congo in a dramatic penalty shootout in the round of 16.

As a forward, the Cairo-born Hossam Hassan helped Egypt to three of those titles. He played mostly for hometown club Al Ahly, with a sojourn at PAOK in Greece and Swiss team Neuchâtel Xamax. He also played for other Egyptian clubs before retiring in 2008.

He since coached many Egyptian clubs and the Jordan national team.

Ibrahim Hassan, a former defender, also played for Egypt and accompanied his brother at various clubs.

CONGO KNOCKS EGYPT OUT OF AFRICA CUP ON PENALTIES AND WILL PLAY GUINEA IN QUARTERFINALS

AP Photo 

 ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Congo knocked seven-time champion Egypt out of the Africa Cup of Nations with an 8-7 win on penalties after the teams finished 1-1 after extra time on Sunday in the round-of-16 match.

Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed Abou Gabal struck the crossbar with his spot kick before Congo counterpart Lionel Mpasi stepped up to send the Leopards into Mohamed Abou Gabal quarterfinals.

Also known as Gabaski, Abou Gabal – whose saves almost won the title for Egypt in the last edition – was playing because regular goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy dislocated his shoulder in the team’s final group game against Cape Verde.

It was the latest misfortune for Egypt, which lost Liverpool star Mohamed Salah to a hamstring injury during the 2-2 draw with Ghana in their second match.

The Egyptian Football Association sacrificed a cow on Thursday in an effort to change the team’s luck.

However, the Pharaohs' defense was caught out by a quick throw in for Congo’s opening goal, scored by Meschack Elia in the 37th.

Mostafa Mohamed equalized from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time. But extra time was needed between two teams that had failed to win any of their games so far.

It was the eighth consecutive Africa Cup match that Egypt failed to win in normal time including the previous tournament.

Egypt finished the game with 10 players when defender Mohamed Hamdy was sent off in the first period of extra time with his second yellow card for a late challenge on Simon Banza.

In the shootout, Mohamed struck Egypt’s second penalty to the right of the goal, but Congo's Arthur Masuaku reciprocated by sending his effort over and no other players missed until Abou Gabal did.

Congo will next face Guinea.