Morocco's football federation has filed an official complaint over what it describes as biased refereeing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, adding a second African footballing body to a growing wave of protest over officiating standards at the tournament. The move follows a formal complaint lodged by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) after Egypt's dramatic 3-2 round-of-16 defeat to Argentina on Tuesday in Atlanta.

Egypt's complaint centred on the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system during their last-16 match. Egypt had led 2-0 before a goal in the 58th minute was disallowed following a VAR review that determined midfielder Marwan Attia had fouled Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez during the build-up. Argentina then scored three unanswered goals in 13 minutes to complete one of the most remarkable comebacks in World Cup history. Egypt coach Hossam Hassan was visibly distressed at the final whistle, making an "X" gesture with his arms to signal what he alleged was racial abuse, and later claimed his team was the victim of a football establishment that favoured Lionel Messi and Argentina. "Defending the rights and interests of the Egyptian national team is not a matter that can be ignored," the EFA said in a statement. "It is a responsibility that we carry with full conviction and determination."

Criticism of VAR decisions has not been limited to the Egypt match. Erling Haaland, the Norwegian striker, also publicly questioned officiating in the quarter-final between France and Morocco — a match France won 2-0 — noting that a VAR review before a French penalty took an excessively long time, writing on Snapchat: "Waiting five minutes for a penalty to be taken — way too long." France coach Didier Deschamps agreed, saying the review process was unjustifiably drawn out and could have disrupted the concentration of penalty-taker Kylian Mbappé, who ultimately missed the spot kick.

FIFA's chief of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, pushed back strongly against the complaints. He defended the VAR decision in the Egypt match, explaining that there is no defined time or distance limit that prevents VAR from reviewing a foul in the build-up to a goal. "Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials," Collina said, warning that "unfounded allegations" risked provoking threats against referees and their families.

The complaints reflect a broader unease among African football associations about the treatment of their teams at major tournaments. With Morocco having reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar — becoming the first African nation to do so — expectations on the continent were high, making any sense of unfair treatment in 2026 particularly charged. Whether FIFA will formally respond to Morocco's complaint, as it did in the Egyptian case, remains to be seen, but the dual filings signal that African football bodies are increasingly willing to challenge officiating decisions through institutional channels.