Egypt coach Hossam Hassan is unhappy about losing to Argentina at the World Cup, with forward Mostafa Zico claiming his country’s match was match-fixed. The reigning world champions lost 2-0 in Atlanta and appeared to be on the brink of elimination.
However, Argentina scored three unanswered goals in the final stages, keeping their hopes of winning the World Cup in a row. The match was mired in controversy from beginning to end. Egypt were fouled early in the game and had their goal ruled out by VAR, but they were equally furious that Argentina were not awarded a penalty moments before they would have clinched the decisive winner. Zico, who got his name on the scoresheet with his team’s second goal, delivered a scathing assessment of those involved, claiming the match and the tournament were rigged in Argentina’s favor.
“The referee was not good, it was unfair. His dishonesty was obvious. He persecuted us from the beginning of the game. He doesn’t want us to win. He doesn’t want us to win. He persecuted us from the beginning of the game.”
“It was a match-fixed game. It wasn’t our fault. That referee…it seems like the game was match-fixed. We were winning 2-0, but he kept attacking us. Congratulations to Argentina for making it to the World Cup again.”
“At no point did I think the match was already decided. We knew we were playing the reigning world champions.
“Before the game started, we knew we were playing against a very strong team and one of the favorites for the championship. But if they had won on their own, it would have been a completely different story for us.”
Zico wasn’t the only one excited about the referees’ performance. Egypt’s coach Hassan also made a scathing decision after the final whistle.
“We saw no respect and no fair play. The penalty was ruled out and the second goal (which should have been a penalty for us) was not even checked by VAR. Whatever the reason, the second goal was surprisingly disallowed.”
“It seems like there was pressure on the referee from the Argentine side that led to this result.
“Life isn’t fair. The world isn’t fair. That’s fine, but why isn’t there fairness in sports? I’m not satisfied with this result and how this match played out.
“The referee is unfair. God is enough for me and only God can make things work out. He is wasting the efforts of the whole country. The cup is for Argentina.”
