Rabat – Egyptian midfielder Mostafa Ziko has questioned FIFA’s integrity after Egypt’s elimination in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Egypt led at halftime before Argentina staged a historic comeback, overturning the deficit to win 3-2 and reach the quarterfinals.
Ziko went on to say that the referee is responsible for their exit and that he destroyed the hopes of a whole nation.
“The referee wronged us clearly and wasted the effort of an entire nation,” Ziko said after their loss. “This tournament is directed toward the Argentinians,” he added.
The Egyptian player believes that they deserved to win this match and that what happened is unfair. “I congratulate the Argentinians in advance on winning the World Cup,” he concluded.
Egypt survived the World Cup group stage with a 3-1 win over New Zealand and draws against Iran and Belgium, then defeated Australia on penalties in the knockout round before suffering a painful loss to Argentina in the Round of 16 at this year’s tournament.
