Egypt forward Mostafa Ziko made an explosive claim after Egypt’s heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, alleging that the tournament was “directed” towards the defending champions after a night of massive refereeing controversy.
Egypt looked set for one of the great World Cup knockout shocks when they led Argentina 2-0 deep into the second half. But Lionel Messi’s side staged a dramatic late comeback, scoring three times to survive and move into the quarter-finals. For Egypt, however, the result was not just about a collapse. Their anger was centred on the officiating, especially a disallowed goal and late penalty appeals that went against them before Argentina’s winner.
Ziko, who scored Egypt’s second goal and also had another effort ruled out after a VAR review, did not hold back after the match. In post-match comments, he accused the referee of being unfair and claimed Egypt had been denied after putting Argentina under serious pressure.
“The referee is unfair. This is clear and obvious injustice. He wasted the efforts of an entire country,” Ziko said.
The most explosive part of his reaction came when he suggested that the tournament was not being played on equal terms. “From the start of the match, he was against us. The tournament is directed. God is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs,” Ziko added.
‘Congratulations to Argentina on the World Cup’: Ziko
Ziko’s frustration was tied to two major flashpoints. First, Egypt believed they had taken firm control of the match when Ziko found the net, only for the goal to be ruled out after VAR advised referee Francois Letexier to check a foul in the build-up. Egypt felt the contact was not strong enough to cancel the goal.
The second and bigger moment came in stoppage time. With the game level and Egypt pushing to survive, they appealed for a penalty after Mohamed Salah went down inside the Argentina box. Egypt also felt there was another possible foul in the same sequence. No penalty was awarded, and Argentina soon went up the other end before Enzo Fernandez scored the decisive goal.
That sequence appeared to fuel Ziko’s strongest attack on the officiating. “I apologise to the fans. We wanted to make them happy, and we couldn’t. It was not in our hands. The tournament is directed,” he said.
Then came the line that captured the bitterness in the Egyptian camp. “Congratulations to Argentina on the World Cup. They don’t need anything else,” Ziko said.
The comment immediately went viral because of its direct suggestion that Argentina were being favoured. Egypt coach Hossam Hassan also echoed similar anger after the match, claiming the referee had wasted the effort of an entire nation and that the World Cup was being “directed” towards Argentina.
For Argentina, it was another dramatic escape in a tournament already filled with late chaos. For Egypt, it was an exit soaked in fury. But given the seriousness of the allegation, Ziko’s words remain an accusation born out of post-match anger rather than proven evidence of fixing. What is clear is that Egypt left the World Cup convinced that the biggest decisions of the night had gone against them.
