Argentina's qualification against Egypt This sparked a wave of angry reactions against the refereeing. At the heart of the anger: a generous penalty awarded to Argentina, an Egyptian goal disallowed after a VAR review, and an Argentinian goal allowed when it could have been ruled out. After the final whistle, Hossam Hassan didn't mince words. The Egyptian coach directly criticized the conduct of the match and the refereeing decisions. "I'll say what's on my mind, whatever the consequences: this match was clearly fixed, and the whole world saw it. And I want to add one more thing: if they wanted [Argentina] to win so badly, why bring everyone in to participate?"
Mostafa Ziko denounces an injustice against an entire nation
Mostafa Ziko, directly involved in the controversial incident, also expressed his anger. The Egyptian player believes the referee deprived his team of a decisive moment and that the decision weighed heavily on the fate of an entire country. His reaction was very strong, with a direct reference to the injustice felt by Egyptians. : "The referee is unfair, God is enough for me and He is the best of managers. He is wasting the efforts of an entire nation. The cup is awarded to Argentina."
Zlatan Ibrahimović is targeting FIFA and decisions favorable to Argentina
The controversy has extended beyond the Egyptian camp. Zlatan Ibrahimović also reacted, directly targeting the refereeing and FIFA. The former Swedish striker believes that Argentina receives consistently preferential treatment at the World Cup. He specifically denounced the disallowed goal for Egypt and the number of penalties awarded to Argentina in recent World Cup matches. : "I don't understand how Argentina is always favored by FIFA. They clearly disallowed a legal goal by Egypt and they awarded Argentina 8 penalties in the last 12 World Cup matches. I don't understand why other countries let it happen."
A controversy that overshadows Argentina's qualification
On the pitch, Argentina continued their journey. But surrounding the match, the debate immediately shifted to the refereeing. The disallowed goal for Egypt, the VAR intervention, and the end of the match that favored Argentina sparked widespread protest. Hossam Hassan called it a fixed match. Mostafa Ziko asserted that the efforts of an entire nation had been wasted. Zlatan Ibrahimović accused FIFA of favoring Argentina. Three different reactions, but the same idea: for them, Egypt didn't just lose to Argentina, they also lost to refereeing decisions deemed decisive.
