Egypt forward, Mostafa Zico, broke down in tears after his side’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, accusing the match officials of bias and claiming the game was “rigged.”
The Pharaohs surrendered a two-goal lead in the closing stages as the defending champions mounted a remarkable comeback to seal victory in Atlanta.
The controversy centred on several refereeing decisions that left the Egyptian camp furious.
Zico had a well-worked goal ruled out by VAR for what was deemed a foul during the build-up, while Egypt also believed they should have been awarded a penalty after Mohamed Salah was brought down inside the box shortly before Enzo Fernandez scored the stoppage-time winner.
Tempers flared on the Egyptian bench after the incident, with one member of the coaching staff receiving a red card.
An emotional Zico did not hide his frustration after the final whistle.
He said, “The referee wasn’t good, he was unfair. His injustice was clear. He persecuted us from the start of the match. He doesn’t want us to win.
“It was a rigged game. It wasn’t our fault. That referee… it seems like this match was rigged.
“We were winning 2-0, and he kept coming at us.
“Congratulations to Argentina on another World Cup, it seems.”
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan also criticised French referee Francois Letexier, echoing his players’ frustrations over the officiating following the heartbreaking defeat.
