Egypt stars issue scathing response after 'rigged' World Cup defeat against Argentina
Egypt has claimed their knockout loss against Argentina was 'rigged' in favour of the reigning champions.
The Pharaohs were eliminated from the World Cup last night after losing 3-2 against Argentina, thanks to a string of late goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez in the final 13 minutes of the match.
Egyptian players struggled to hide their feelings after the final whistle was blown, with winger Mostafa Ziko and head coach Hossam Hassan hitting out at refereeing decisions made during the match.
"The referee wasn’t good, he was unfair," Ziko said of French official Francois Letexier.
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"His injustice was clear. He persecuted us from the start of the match. He doesn’t want us to win."
Ziko had been on the receiving end of one of the controversial refereeing decisions in the second half of the match, with his goal being scrubbed off after a VAR review determined there had been a foul in the build-up.
"It was a rigged game. It wasn’t our fault. That referee… it seems like this match was rigged," he continued. "We were winning 2-0, and he kept coming at us."
Refusing to praise his opponents for their late-stage comeback, he added: "If they had won solely on their own merits, it would have been very different for us.
"Congratulations to Argentina on another World Cup, it seems."
Ziko wasn't the only member of the Egyptian camp who shared choice words over refereeing during the match, with manager Hassan blasting the result during a post-match press conference.
"We haven’t seen respect or fair play. There seems to have been pressure on the Argentinian side on the referee that has brought about this outcome," he told reporters.
"Life is unfair. The world is unfair. OK, but why isn’t there any fairness in sports," he continued. "I’m not convinced by this outcome and by the way things unfolded in this match."
Hassan then went on to accuse Letexier of being biased, adding: "The referee is unfair, God is sufficient for me and the best disposer of affairs. He’s wasting the effort of an entire nation. The cup is directed towards Argentina.
"This was clearly a rigged match and the whole world saw it."
Hassan also claimed that his side were denied a penalty after Julian Alvarez tackled Mohamed Salah inside the box, which was not checked by VAR, while Alexis Mac Allister also pulled Hamdi Fathy down inside the penalty area.
Hassan was also handed a yellow card for making an X gesture during the closing moments of the game.
"A penalty [for us] was ruled out, it was not even checked by the VAR and our second goal was remarkably, for whatever reason, disallowed," he claimed.
"We have all seen the shirt pulled back [by Mac Allister] and not even a VAR check.
"There seems to have been pressure on the Argentine side on the referee that has brought about this outcome."
LADbible Group previously approached FIFA for comment.
World Cup 2026 fixture schedule and UK kick off times
Thursday, 9 July
Quarter-final - Match 97: France vs Morocco, kick-off 9pm - Foxborough, US
Friday, 10 July
Quarter-final - Match 98: Match 93 winners vs Match 94 winners, kick-off 8pm - Los Angeles, US
Saturday, 11 July
Quarter-final - Match 99: Norway vs England, kick-off 10pm - Miami, US
Sunday, 12 July
Quarter-final - Match 100: Match 95 winners vs Match 96 winners, kick-off 2am - Kansas City, US
Tuesday, 14 July
Semi-final - Match 101: Match 97 winners vs Match 98 winners, kick-off 8pm - Arlington, US
Wednesday, 15 July
Semi-final - Match 102: Match 99 winners vs Match 100 winners, kick-off 8pm - Atlanta, US
Saturday, 18 July
Third Place Playoff - Match 103: Match 101 losers vs Match 102 losers, kick-off 10pm - Miami, US
Sunday, 19 July
Final - Match 104: Match 101 winners vs Match 102 winners, kick-off 8pm - New Jersey, US
Topics: World Cup, Football, Sport, Lionel Messi
Brenna Cooper