‘Emotional’ Mostafa Ziko Accuses Argentina of Cheating Following Late World Cup Defeat

Mostafa Ziko was visibly upset after Egypt's controversial loss to Argentina in World Cup 2026 Round of 16.

‘Emotional’ Mostafa Ziko Accuses Argentina of Cheating Following Late World Cup Defeat

Mostafa Ziko (Image via Reuters, Screengrab via @bigfred6ix9 on X)

In the Round of 16, the Albiceleste staged a sensational comeback in the late minutes to defeat the Egyptians at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The defending champions were trailing 2-0 with around 11 minutes left in regulation time before they added three more in the next 15 minutes to take a 3-2 lead and the game.

The game, however, was not without the usual set of controversies. Earlier in the game, the Egyptians had one goal by Mostafa Ziko disallowed due to a foul in the buildup to the goal. Ziko later scored the second goal for the Pharaohs and played an all-around performance in the game.

The 29-year-old left winger, who plays for Pyramids FC in the Egyptian Premier League, was in tears after the game ended. He had left his all on the field to help his country earn its first-ever quarter-final appearance at the most prestigious tournament in football. In the post-match interview, Ziko claimed that they were unfairly treated by the referee.

The referee was really not fair. Not fair. The referee was not fair. The injustice was clear. We did a good job in the early stages of the match. There’s been an unfairness right from the start of the match. A 2-0 lead isn’t enough to beat Argentina. It’s clear that this tournament has been fixed.

Ziko told the reporter

The Egyptian coach also shared similar thoughts about the game. Hossam Hassan was a bit more diplomatic with his words, but he admitted his team was subject to injustice. He alleged that the result was decided by external elements and hinted that if the game were the sole criterion of measurement, Egypt were a much better side.

Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running. I want to put it in beautiful words and say, ‘Hard luck,’ but we have been treated unfairly, and it has been an injustice.

Hassan said

The Egyptian Football Association has officially filed for an investigation into the refereeing crew headed by French official Francois Letexier for their decisions during the game.

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A look at the controversial decisions during the Argentina-Egypt game

The Argentina and Egypt pre-quarter match at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Dallas on Tuesday was an intense affair. The former’s late comeback has been marred by rigging and fixing claims, raised by Egyptian fans as well as fans of rival teams.

Egyptian Team Francois Letexier
The Egyptian team felt unfairly treated by the refereeing team led by Francois Letexier (Image via Getty)

The central controversy is the VAR decision, which disallowed the goal by Mostafa Ziko in the 62nd minute. After a VAR check, the goal was disallowed after it was revealed that Lisandro Martínez of Argentina was fouled by Egyptian defender Marwan Attia to take away possession and lead the counterattack. While a few names, like Graham Scott, claim that there was no reason for VAR to intervene, Andy Davies said that the decision was correct.

The position of the foul being so far from the Argentine net remains the key debating point. However, the foul by Attia, with a jersey grab simultaneously with a clear foot on the boot, assisted them in breaking away and shaking the net. According to the established rules, this counts as a cause for a disallowed goal.

The game-winning goal by Argentina has also come under the radar. Fans alleged that Mohammed Salah was tripped by Julian Alvarez during the goal buildup. Salah had lost possession, and unlike the previous incident, this involved boot-against-boot action, which led to Salah being brought to the ground.

Third, the shirt grab by Alexis Mac Allister. The Liverpool player grabbed the shirt of Egypt’s Hamdy Fathy in the penalty box, causing Fathy to fall. The contact was judged as minimal, unsustained, and lacking material impact on Fathy’s ability to get to the ball. It did not cross the line into an impactful foul.

While Egypt bows out of the tournament, Argentina knows that they have work to do if they want to go far in this tournament and defend their crown. They will now face Switzerland, who defeated Colombia in penalties, in the quarterfinals.

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