Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020
Mostafa Zico FIFA row has exploded after Egypt’s 3-2 FIFA World Cup defeat to Argentina, with the Egypt forward accusing the tournament of being “fixed” following a dramatic late collapse.
Egypt led 2-0 in the 79th minute before Argentina scored three times to advance, while a VAR decision to rule out Zico’s 58th-minute goal became the centre of a wider Lionel Messi conspiracy debate.
The dispute comes as the tournament moves toward the last eight, with 2026 World Cup quarterfinals dates, venues and matchups now confirmed.
Zico Lashes Out After VAR Drama
Zico was emotional after Egypt’s exit, with the forward claiming his side had been denied a fair chance against Argentina.
“The referee was not fair. The injustice was clear,” a tearful Zico said after his team’s dramatic exit.
“We did a good job in the early stages of the match. There’s been an unfairness right from the start of the match. A 2-0 lead isn’t enough to beat Argentina.
“It’s clear that this tournament has been fixed.”
The comments arrived after VAR cancelled Zico’s goal, a call that would have changed the shape of the match before Argentina’s late surge.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan was also furious after the defeat.
“I’m going home and won’t be watching any more games from the tournament,” he said.
“What happened to us wasn’t fair. We should have had a penalty, a goal was disallowed, and I don’t know why it was disallowed.”
Referee Appointment Fuels Online Anger
The anger grew when FIFA named an all-Argentinian officiating team for France’s quarter-final against Morocco in Boston.
With France, Spain and Argentina among the leading contenders, the appointment led to a wave of fan reaction online.
“FIFA doesnt hide it anymore 😂😂😂😂 All Argentinian (refs ...) why dont you bring Messi to check the VAR too?” one fan wrote.
Another posted: “A full Argentinian delegation, you will never beat the allegations.”
A third added: “All Argentina referees for a France match, FIFA trying everything to rig the World Cup for Argentina once again.”
Messi Debate Returns
The wider debate has followed Messi since Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria, when his studs caught Aissa Mandi’s calf and no card was shown.
ESPN analyst Ale Moreno later called it “100 per cent a red card”.
“It plays along this narrative that great players get preferential treatment,” Moreno added.
Official tournament information is available through FIFA.
