Egypt Players Allege Rigged 3-2 Argentina Loss After VAR Overturned 2-0 Lead
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 8
Egypt Players Allege Rigged 3-2 Argentina Loss After VAR Overturned 2-0 Lead
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 8
Summary
Egypt’s players joined coach Hossam Hassan in alleging their 3-2 World Cup loss to Argentina was effectively “rigged,” escalating earlier complaints beyond claims of simple referee bias.
A VAR review wiped out what looked like Egypt’s second goal for a foul about 20 seconds earlier, and Hassan also cited an unchecked penalty appeal and other calls he said favored Argentina.
Hassan said officials may have wanted Lionel Messi and the reigning champions to stay alive, while forward Mostafa Ziko said “everyone saw” decisions turn against Egypt after they thought they had gone 2-0 up.
Argentina still reached the quarterfinals after scoring 3 times in 25 minutes, keeping Messi in the tournament as scrutiny over officiating and VAR consistency grows.