Hacked email reignites controversy over Letexier after Argentina-Egypt match

An email accusing French referee François Letexier of “corrupt refereeing decisions” during the 2026 World Cup round-of-16 between Argentina and Egypt was sent to several accredited journalists from an account associated with the Argentine Football Federation (AFA). The message claimed that “Argentina did not win” and praised Egypt’s team performance.

The AFA quickly denied any responsibility for distributing the text, stating it had neither been written nor approved by its communications department. According to Argentine newspaper La Calle, internal sources at the Federation indicate that a group of hackers of Egyptian origin infiltrated part of its database, obtaining email addresses, passwords and IP addresses before offering this information on specialized forums.

This episode comes just days after an official approach by the Egyptian Football Federation to FIFA. After the Pharaohs’ elimination, its president Hany Abou Rida called for Letexier’s exclusion for the rest of the competition and demanded an investigation, denouncing “blatant refereeing errors” and “the application of a double standard” which, according to him, contributed to Egypt’s defeat.

Facing these accusations, FIFA’s head of refereeing Pierluigi Collina spoke out to defend the integrity of officials. The former Italian international referee said he was “overall satisfied” with the work of the referees selected for this North American World Cup, though he did not directly comment on the hacked email affair.