El Alamein, Egypt (AP) – Thousands of fans gathered to greet the Egyptian national soccer team as they returned home after Friday’s match. world cup This is how the adventure ended Lost to Argentina 3-2 in the knockout stage of the tournament.
Crowds gather at El Alamein Airport, waving pictures of star players mohamed salah They held signs praising the team’s accomplishments and cheering for the players’ return.
Egypt defeated Salah’s Australia 4-2 in a penalty shootout to advance to the tournament’s last 16 team for the first time.
The players are scheduled to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Saturday, who thanked the team in a Facebook statement on Tuesday “for their honorable performance and for achieving an unprecedented milestone in the history of Egyptian football.”
Emotions were high across Egypt on Tuesday as supporters gathered in coffee shops, homes and public squares to watch the game against Argentina, and Egyptian flags were flown on balconies, storefronts and in the streets.
Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said on wednesday He said he was deeply dissatisfied with the refereeing of Tuesday’s match and the decisions made by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan and several players criticized the referee Argentina scored three goals in 13 minutes, completing the biggest comeback of the game. world cup history.
“Protecting the rights and interests of the Egyptian national team is not an issue that can be ignored, downplayed or treated as secondary,” the EFA said in a statement.
Pierluigi Collina, soccer’s world governing body FIFA’s head of refereeing, said in a statement late Wednesday that while controversy over decisions is normal in soccer, he stressed that “baseless allegations have no place in our sport.”
“No one doubts the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials,” he said. “When something like this happens, it can provoke a reaction that leads to threats against them and their families. This is not right.”
————-
Khalid reported from Cairo.
