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The Egyptian national team's loss to Argentina in the 2026 World Cup was not due to refereeing, despite some controversial decisions. Refereeing is part of football, and it makes mistakes for all teams, so it should not become a scapegoat for failure.

From my perspective, the loss began on the bench. In the final minutes, tension was evident on the coaching staff led by Captain Hossam Hassan, and the excitement extended to the assistant staff, leading to protests against the referee and yellow cards. This atmosphere negatively affected the players on the field, causing them to lose focus and composure at the most crucial moments of the match.

Moreover, the tactical substitutions were not successful. When you are leading by two goals until the 79th minute, the requirement is to strengthen the defense and midfield to preserve the result, not to continue the same attacking approach. Argentina exploited these spaces, returned to the match, and scored three goals, the last in stoppage time. Meanwhile, captain Mohamed Salah was expected to play a greater role in leading the team on the field—not just technically, but also in calming his teammates and managing difficult moments that require leadership and experience.

One lesson to consider is the culture of dealing with results. In our Arab world, we often over-celebrate when we win, as if we have achieved the ultimate success, and then overreact when we lose, as if it is the end of the road. This emotional culture does not help build teams capable of sustained competition. Big teams celebrate victories with balance and handle defeats calmly, because they know that tournaments are decided by endurance, not emotional reactions.

We need to develop a sports culture of balance: enjoy victories without excess, accept losses with sportsmanship, review mistakes, and respect the opponent. This is the culture of teams that achieve success. Congratulations to Argentina for a well-deserved comeback, and hard luck to Egypt. Most importantly, let this loss become a technical and managerial lesson, because major tournaments are decided by managing details, not by emotion and excitement. In conclusion, the word has its right, and right has its word... Stay well.

Translated from "Al-Ayam"

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