Egypt’s Ziko accuses referee of bias after Argentina defeat

Egypt midfielder Mostafa Ziko accused the referee of bias after his side's dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Argentina staged a remarkable comeback on Tuesday night, scoring three goals in the final 13 minutes and 15 seconds after trailing 2-0 to secure a place in the quarter-finals.
Speaking after the match, an emotional Ziko criticized French referee François Letexier, alleging that his decisions unfairly favored Argentina.
"Congratulations to Argentina in advance on winning the World Cup," Ziko said. "The refereeing today was unfair, unfair, unfair, unfair. The referee was unjust. Allah is sufficient for me, and He is the best disposer of affairs."
The Egyptian international insisted his team had produced an outstanding performance but claimed the officiating influenced the outcome.
"We played brilliantly, but François Letexier was clearly biased from the very beginning of the match," he said. "He repeatedly tried to stop our play and wanted to keep us under pressure throughout the game."
Argentina's dramatic comeback earned the defending champions a place in the quarter-finals, while Egypt's World Cup campaign came to an end.

MMR