Mostafa Ziko, a 29-year-old Egyptian forward, could not hold back his tears in the mixed zone. His team had the match won 2-0 against Argentina in the round of 16, but in the final minutes everything collapsed.
Cristian ‘Cuti’ Romero, Lionel Messi, and Enzo Fernández turned the score around at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and Egypt was eliminated 3-2.
For Ziko it was not just a sporting defeat: “The tournament is rigged. The referee was unfair, unfair, unfair”, he repeated in front of the cameras.
His coach, Hossam Hassan, backed the accusation and spoke of prior pressure on French referee François Letexier. While Argentina is already thinking about the quarterfinals, in Egypt the anger keeps growing. 🇦🇷⚽ What do you think?
Video: