Egypt star Mostafa Ziko has claimed that his country's World Cup match against Argentina was rigged, suggesting the South American side were destined to win the tournament. The defending champions appeared set for elimination after falling 2-0 behind in Atlanta, but scored three consecutive goals in the closing stages to secure victory.
VAR controversy and disallowed goal
The match was surrounded by controversy. Egypt had a goal ruled out by VAR following a foul earlier in the passage of play, and they were left furious by the refusal to award a penalty moments before Argentina's winning goal.
Ziko, who scored Egypt's second goal, 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 coach also criticises officials
Egypt manager Hossam Hassan also launched a scathing verdict after the final whistle. He said: "We haven't seen respect or fair play. A penalty was ruled out and a second incident that should have been checked for a penalty for us was not even checked by the VAR. A second goal was remarkably, for whatever reason, disallowed. There seems to have been pressure on the Argentinian side on the referee that has brought about this outcome."
Hassan added: "Life is unfair. The world is unfair. OK, but why isn't there any fairness in sports? I'm not convinced by this outcome and by the way things unfolded in this match. The referee is unfair, God is sufficient for me and the best disposer of affairs. He's wasting the effort of an entire nation. The cup is directed towards Argentina."
Ziko acknowledges Argentina's strength
Despite his claims, Ziko acknowledged the strength of the opposition. He said: "At no point did we think the match was already decided. We knew we were facing the reigning world champions. Even before the game started, we knew we would be facing a very strong team and one of the favourites for the title. But if they had won solely on their own merits it would have been very different for us."
