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Restaurants and cafes across the region have jumped on a viral trend of 'banning' French referee Francois Letexier from their establishments. The official has come under fire for his handling of the dramatic round-of-16 World Cup clash between Egypt and Argentina, which ended in a 3-2 victory for Lionel Messi's side.
Arab fans have flooded social media to express their dismay over the refereeing, prompting various business owners to post tongue-in-cheek statements banning Letexier in a show of solidarity with the Egyptian team.
An eye clinic in Bahrain found some humour in the heartbreaking outcome, posting a suggestion on social media that the referee was in need of an eyesight check-up. They are not alone; a barbershop in Egypt, a shawarma restaurant in the UAE, and numerous other businesses have shared witty social media posts following Egypt’s controversial exit from the tournament.
Although Egypt exited the tournament, the team maintained they were treated unfairly after Argentina overturned a 2-0 deficit to snatch victory with a stoppage-time winner from Enzo Fernandez. Egypt coach Hossam Hassan alleged after the match that pressure may have been placed on the referee to keep Argentina in the tournament.
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