Mohamed Salah has voiced his frustration over the standard of officiating after his side’s exit from the FIFA World Cup, suggesting that a series of decisions by the referee unfairly influenced the outcome of the decisive encounter.
The Liverpool forward stopped short of directly criticizing the match official, saying he feared facing disciplinary action if he spoke openly about the referee’s performance.
“I don’t want to talk about the referee because I’ll get in trouble if I do,” Salah said after the match.
The Egyptian captain expressed disappointment over what he described as a pattern of decisions that consistently went against his team during one of the tournament’s most important fixtures.
“It’s sad and frustrating to see all the decisions going against you in a game, especially in a decisive match like this one in the World Cup,” he said.
Salah’s comments come amid growing debate over officiating standards at the tournament, with several teams raising concerns over refereeing decisions in knockout matches.
Without pointing to any specific incident, the 34-year-old suggested that the quality of officiating has become a major concern in modern football.
“It’s just so bad at this point in football,” Salah added.
His remarks are likely to fuel further discussion over the consistency of refereeing and the use of match officials at the World Cup, as football authorities continue to face calls for greater accountability and improved decision-making in high-stakes matches.
Despite Egypt’s elimination, Salah’s performances throughout the tournament were among the bright spots for his country, but his post-match comments highlighted the disappointment felt within the camp after their World Cup journey came to an end.
