Egypt conceded three goals in the final 20 minutes of their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match against Argentina on Tuesday (July 7), surrendering a 2-0 lead to suffer a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat in Atlanta. The loss ended the African side’s campaign in the ongoing FIFA World Cup. The Egyptians were on the verge of securing one of the most famous victories in FIFA World Cup history but fell short of achieving that feat.
After the match ended in heartbreak for Egypt, several players and members of the coaching staff accused the referee of being biased.
According to Egypt’s star player Mostafa Ziko, who scored his side’s second goal after his first effort was disallowed for a foul in the build-up, referee François Letexier of France was unfair
and against Egypt from the start of the match.
Ziko claimed that the tournament was being directed in Argentina’s favour and sarcastically congratulated the defending champions on winning the World Cup.
“The referee was unfair, unfair, unfair. He was against us from the first minute. He wasted the effort of an entire country. The tournament was directed towards Argentina. Congratulations to Argentina for the World Cup,” Ziko said.
EGIPTO Y ACUSA A LA FIFA DE FAVORECER A ARGENTINA.
Mostafa Ziko tras la derrota:
“El árbitro fue injusto, injusto, injusto. Estuvo contra nosotros desde el primer minuto. Desperdició el esfuerzo de todo un país. El torneo estaba dirigido hacia Argentina. Felicidades a Argentina… pic.twitter.com/365gFN2n8m— José Ramón Fernández (@joserra_espn) July 7, 2026
His comments were echoed by Egypt captain and star forward Mohamed Salah.
“I don’t want to talk about the referee because I’ll get in trouble if I do,” Salah said.
“It’s sad and frustrating to see all the decisions going against you in a game, especially in a decisive match like this one in the World Cup. It’s just so bad at this point in football,” he added.
🚨🗣️| Mo Salah:
“I don’t want to talk about the referee because I’ll get in trouble if I do.”
“It’s sad and frustrating to see all the decisions going against you in a game, especially in a decisive match like this one in the World Cup.”
“It’s just so bad at this point in… pic.twitter.com/wTyidf2OW6
— Goals Side (@goalsside) July 7, 2026
He, however, congratulated Argentina on securing a 3-2 victory and said there was no shame in losing to the greatest player of all time.
“Well, there’s no shame in losing to the greatest player of all time. What he did today was incredible. He showed that he is still the best player in the world at 39. It was an honour to share the pitch with him,” Salah said.
