Egypt Accuses FIFA of Fixing the World Cup: 'It's All About Argentina and Messi!'

In the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Egypt lost 3-2 to Argentina after being 2-0 ahead. The Egyptian players and coach Hüssam Hassan strongly criticized the referee's decisions. Star player Mostafa Ziko claimed that the tournament was 'fixed.' Egypt was 2-0 ahead but couldn't stop Argentina's comeback. The referee's decisions sparked controversy after the match. Egyptian player Mustafa Ziko argued that the referee was biased and made unfair decisions.Egyptian coach Hüssam Hassan also made harsh comments after the match. Hassan claimed that the referee was under pressure to favor Argentina, saying, 'Life may not be fair, but sports should be. I'm not convinced by this result and the course of the game.'

We didn't see respect and fair play. A penalty that should have been given to us wasn't. Another position wasn't even reviewed by VAR. Our second goal was also canceled in a way that we couldn't understand.

Hassan told beIN Sports, 'Maybe they wanted to keep the world champion in the tournament. Maybe they wanted Lionel Messi to continue his journey. Sometimes, in football, there are factors beyond technical issues. The world champion received support at every level.'