Sports
‘The cup is directed towards Argentina’ – Egypt star makes bold World Cup claim
Egypt Forward says controversial officiating denied Pharaohs a famous World Cup upset against defending champions.
Egypt forward Mostafa Ziko has defended head coach Hossam Hassan’s criticism of the officiating following the Pharaohs’ dramatic exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The North Africans looked on course for one of the tournament’s biggest shocks after racing into a 2-0 lead against defending champions Argentina before suffering a stunning late collapse.
Argentina scored three goals in the closing stages through Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi, and Enzo Fernández to complete a remarkable comeback and book a place in the quarter-finals.
One of the defining moments of the encounter came when Ziko thought he had extended Egypt’s advantage with what would have been a third goal.
However, following a VAR review, the referee ruled out the effort for a foul in the build-up, a decision that proved crucial as Argentina mounted their comeback.
The incident triggered strong criticism from Egypt’s coaching staff after the final whistle.
Speaking after the match, Ziko expressed his frustration with the officiating and supported Hassan’s claims that key decisions went against Egypt.
“It was not fair from the referee. It was really not fair, that was very clear,” Ziko said.
He added, “He wasted all of our efforts with his decisions. We were leading 2-0 and we cannot do anything, it’s all up to God.”
“It’s clear that this tournament has been fixed.”
Egypt’s Mostafa Zico was not happy with some of the decisions in their game against Argentina. pic.twitter.com/VbDdFbkRBC
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 7, 2026
The Egyptian forward also apologised to supporters following the heartbreaking defeat.
He added, “We are so sorry to the people of Egypt. I am so sorry. We wanted to make you all happy.
“It was not in the cards. It was the referee. The cup is directed towards Argentina.”
Despite the controversy, Argentina progressed to the quarter-finals after completing one of the most dramatic comebacks of the tournament.