Mostafa Ziko, a striker for the Egyptian national team, expressed his frustration following their 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the World Cup 2026 round of 16 in Atlanta, Georgia on 7/7. "The referee poorly managed the match; it was unfair. His bias was clear," Ziko stated. "He targeted us from the start, not wanting Egypt to win. This match was decided beforehand."

The Pyramids FC striker also apologized to fans for the loss, further criticizing the officiating. "I wanted to bring joy to the supporters, but I apologize that we couldn't. It's not Egypt's fault. It felt like the match was fixed," he said. "We led 2-0, but the referee constantly disadvantaged Egypt. Congratulations to Argentina on another World Cup title, it seems."

Ziko (number 11) was disappointed after the match between Argentina and Egypt in the World Cup 2026 round of 16 at Atlanta, Georgia, US on 7/7/2026. *Photo: AP*

Ziko scored two times against Argentina in the second half, though only one goal was allowed. VAR intervention led the referee to reverse the first goal due to a foul in the buildup. Six minutes later, the 1997-born forward capitalized on a pass from Hasseim Hassan to extend Egypt's lead to 2-0.

Despite their two-goal advantage, Egypt could not maintain their lead. Argentina scored three consecutive goals in the final 20 minutes, spearheaded by Lionel Messi, to complete the comeback and advance to the quarterfinals.

"We never thought the match was over," Ziko added. "We knew we were facing the reigning world champions and one of the strongest contenders for the title. However, if they had won purely on their own merit, our feelings would be very different."

Goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir echoed Ziko's dissatisfaction with the refereeing decisions. In addition to the disallowed goal, Shobeir believed his team should have been awarded a penalty in the play leading to Argentina's decisive goal. "In the final play, I saw Fathy's jersey torn at the side," the Egyptian goalkeeper commented. "He certainly didn't tear his own jersey."

The match referee, Francois Letexier of France, faced criticism for his handling of the game. Letexier, who previously officiated the 2021 Europa League final, the 2023 UEFA Super Cup, and the Euro 2024 final, did not issue any cards to Argentina despite them committing 13 fouls, two more than Egypt. In contrast, Egypt received four yellow cards.

The video assistant referee (VAR) room also drew criticism for its lack of intervention in several key moments. One notable incident involved Alexis Mac Allister pulling an opponent's jersey inside the penalty area, which went unaddressed. Coach Hossam Hassan received a yellow card for protesting this decision.

Salah (third from left) and teammates argued with referee Letexier during the match between Argentina and Egypt in the World Cup 2026 round of 16 at Atlanta, Georgia, US on 7/7/2026. *Photo: AP*

Further compounding the controversy, VAR referee Jerome Bisard had a history of contentious decisions in the Champions League. He notably failed to intervene when Federico Valverde elbowed Samuel Dahl in a Champions League match between Real and Benfica, prompting a complaint from the Portuguese club to UEFA.

Real themselves had previously criticized Bisard for inconsistency. In a match against Man City, the French assistant requested the main referee review footage for a foul by Antonio Rudiger but did not do the same for a play involving Raul Asensio.

Vy Anh