Top News

Egyptian football star Mostafa Ziko has claimed that the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy is being “steered towards Argentina” after Egypt’s heartbreaking 3-2 loss in the Round of 16, a match that left head coach Hossam Hassan furious over what he described as “unfair” officiating.

Argentina completed a dramatic late comeback after trailing 2-0 to the Pharaohs, who had a goal controversially ruled out and protested vehemently about a suspected foul in the lead-up to Enzo Fernandez’s decisive stoppage-time header.

Ziko’s strike at 1-0 was disallowed, while Mohamed Salah appealed for a penalty moments before the Albiceleste launched their counterattack that resulted in Fernandez’s winner.

Disappointed by the decisions made by referee Francois Letexier and his team, Hossam Hassan said he would “never watch the World Cup again, because there’s no justice in this competition.”

He added, “We haven’t seen respect or fair play. A penalty was denied, and another incident that should have been reviewed for a possible penalty wasn’t even checked by VAR. A second goal was disallowed for reasons that are beyond comprehension.

“It seems there was pressure on the referee from the Argentinian side that influenced the outcome of this match.

“Life may be unfair, and the world may be unfair, but why should sport be the same? I cannot accept this result or the way this match unfolded.”

Hassan also criticised the scheduling of the match at 12 pm ET, despite the air-conditioning at Atlanta Stadium mitigating the heat concerns.

“Whoever sets these match times has clearly never played football. You simply don’t schedule a football match at noon,” he stated.

Egyptian players were seen appealing to referee Francois Letexier after Argentina’s third goal, expressing visible frustration at the officiating.

Speaking later to beIN Sports, as reported by France24, Hassan suggested that tournament organisers wanted to ensure Argentina’s progress. “Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the competition? Perhaps they wanted Lionel Messi to continue? In football, there are sometimes external factors that go beyond the technical side. The world champions received support at every level.

“I told the referee that what was happening was not fair. This is an undeserved victory for Argentina. Once I am back home, I will never watch the World Cup again, because there’s no justice in this competition.”

Hassan was also shown a yellow card during the match by Letexier after protesting on the touchline.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s goalscorer Ziko told Canadian broadcaster TSN, through a translator, “It was not fair from the referee. It was very clear that the decisions were unjust. He ruined all our efforts with his calls. We were leading 2-0 and could do nothing — it’s in God’s hands.

“We are deeply sorry to the people of Egypt. I am truly sorry. We wanted to make everyone proud, but it was not meant to be. It was the referee. The cup is directed towards Argentina.”