Atlanta, Jul 08 (V7N)- Egypt forward Mostafa Zico has strongly criticized the officiating following his team's dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, alleging that a series of controversial decisions unfairly influenced the outcome of the match.
Egypt led 2-0 for nearly 80 minutes in Tuesday's match at Atlanta Stadium before the reigning world champions mounted a remarkable comeback. Argentina scored three late goals, with Enzo Fernández netting the winner in stoppage time to send Lionel Messi's side into the quarter-finals.
Speaking to reporters after the match, an emotional Zico accused French referee François Letexier of biased officiating.
"The referee did wrong. He was not fair at all. He has ruined the work of an entire country in a single moment. From the beginning of the match, he made decisions against us," Zico said.
The Egyptian forward went on to question the integrity of the tournament.
"Congratulations to Argentina for winning the World Cup. The tournament was already arranged. The referee was unfair, unfair, unfair."
Egypt's frustration centered on two key incidents during the match.
In the 58th minute, Zico appeared to have extended Egypt's lead to 2-0, but the goal was disallowed following a VAR review after officials identified a foul in the build-up. Later, Egypt also appealed for a foul on midfielder Hamdi Fathi before Argentina scored the decisive third goal, arguing that the incident was not adequately reviewed by the Video Assistant Referee.
The disputed decisions sparked widespread frustration among Egyptian players and coaching staff after the final whistle.
The match was officiated by French referee François Letexier. FIFA had not issued any official comment regarding Egypt's complaints at the time of publication.
Argentina advanced to the World Cup quarter-finals with the 3-2 victory, while Egypt's campaign came to an end after surrendering a two-goal advantage in the closing stages.
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