World Cup 2026: Why Mohamed Salah's Penalty Appeal Was Rejected Against Argentina
- Egypt were left frustrated after Mohamed Salah was denied a late penalty during their 3-2 defeat to Argentina at the World Cup
- Salah went down inside the box, but referee François Letexier waved away the appeals, with Argentina going on to score the decisive goal
- The controversial decision sparked mixed reactions from fans as Egypt's World Cup journey came to an end
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Mohamed Salah's penalty appeal during Egypt's dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup has sparked intense debate among football fans.
The former Liverpool forward went down inside Argentina's box after a challenge from Julian Alvarez, with many Egyptian supporters believing the Pharaohs should have been awarded a spot-kick.
According to Al Jazeera, the incident occurred during the build-up to Argentina's equaliser, with the defending champions quickly turning defence into attack before Enzo Fernandez headed home Lautaro Martinez's cross.
Source: Getty Images
Egypt felt play should have been stopped for a foul on Salah, but referee Francois Letexier allowed the move to continue.
The decision was not reviewed by VAR, further fuelling claims online that the North Africans had been denied a fair chance.
However, an analysis from Referee Channel, an online platform run by active Swedish referee and instructor Victor, has offered an explanation for why the penalty was not awarded.
Why Salah was not awarded a penalty
According to Victor, the contact between Alvarez and Salah was minimal and did not meet the threshold for a foul inside the penalty area.
"The contact was very light," Victor explained, adding that awarding a penalty in that situation would have been "not appropriate".
The referee instructor also stressed that Salah was not guilty of simulation, but the challenge itself was not enough to warrant a spot-kick.
Watch Victor's explainer to the Salah incident, as shared on X:
Despite the explanation, the decision continued to divide opinion among supporters, with several fans questioning the consistency of the officiating throughout the match. YEN.com.gh has compiled some reactions from X:
@manutdUGA raised concerns over consistency, writing:
"So the contact on Salah is minimal and allowed in football, but the one on Martinez in Egypt's build-up isn't minimal."
@lifegoeson_q was equally direct:
"This was never a penalty."
@Muravhajr acknowledged why the incident attracted attention while still agreeing with the referee's decision:
"It made sense why people made a huge fuss about this since a similar incident occurred earlier, but this was just never a foul."
Source: Getty Images
Argentina's epic win over Egypt marred by controversy
While the Salah incident attracted the most attention, it was not the only refereeing decision that left Egypt frustrated.
The Pharaohs had a goal from Mostafa Ziko ruled out in the 58th minute after VAR intervened and judged that there had been a foul on Lisandro Martinez during the build-up.
Watch Ziko's disallowed goal vs Argentina, as shared on X:
Many supporters questioned the decision, arguing that the contact was too minor to overturn a goal at such a crucial stage of the game.
According to ESPN, there was also controversy before Argentina's winning goal, with some fans claiming Alexis Mac Allister's shirt pull on Hamdy Fathy should have resulted in a penalty.
They argued that if Ziko's goal was cancelled because of minimal contact, the same standard should have been applied before Enzo Fernandez scored the decisive goal.
Watch Mac Allister's shirt-pull on Fathy, as shared on X:
Despite the controversy, Argentina completed an epic comeback after falling two goals behind and advanced to the quarter-finals, while Egypt exited the tournament with plenty of praise for their fearless performance against the reigning champions.
How much Egypt earned after World Cup exit
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Egypt may have suffered a painful World Cup exit, but they will still leave the tournament with a major financial reward.
FIFA's prize-money system means teams that reach the Round of 16 will receive USD 15 million.
Source: YEN.com.gh
