Summary
- Egypt forward Mostafa Zico has claimed the 2026 FIFA World Cup is “fixed” after his team’s dramatic 3-2 quarter-final defeat to Argentina criticizing the match officials and suggesting the tournament is being tilted in favor of the defending champions.
- Speaking after the match, Zico alleged that the referee’s decisions were biased against Egypt from the start.
- First, Zico had a goal disallowed after a VAR review for an alleged foul, a decision the Egyptian camp strongly disputed.
Egypt forward Mostafa Zico has claimed the 2026 FIFA World Cup is “fixed” after his team’s dramatic 3-2 quarter-final defeat to Argentina criticizing the match officials and suggesting the tournament is being tilted in favor of the defending champions.
Egypt led 2-0 until the closing stages of the second half before Lionel Messi’s Argentina staged a remarkable comeback scoring three consecutive goals to book a place in the quarter-finals.
Speaking after the match, Zico alleged that the referee’s decisions were biased against Egypt from the start.
“He destroyed the hard work of an entire nation,” Zico said adding that it felt as though the tournament had been arranged to benefit a particular team.
Egypt’s main complaints centered on two controversial incidents. First, Zico had a goal disallowed after a VAR review for an alleged foul, a decision the Egyptian camp strongly disputed.
Later, in extra time, Egypt appealed for a penalty after Mohamed Salah went down inside the penalty area but the referee allowed play to continue. Moments later, Enzo Fernández scored the winning goal for Argentina leaving Egyptian players and fans deeply disappointed.
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