Mostafa Ziko (foto: Posnetek zaslona)
Egypt forward Mostafa Ziko launched an emotional attack on FIFA and the refereeing after Argentina's dramatic comeback, claiming key decisions cost his team a place in the World Cup quarter-finals.
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Egypt were left devastated after surrendering a two-goal lead against Argentina, and the frustration inside the camp boiled over after the final whistle.
Forward Mostafa Ziko, who scored during the dramatic Round of 16 clash, delivered a furious assessment of the officiating, claiming crucial refereeing decisions turned the match in Argentina's favour.
Egypt led 2-0 until the closing stages before Argentina scored three late goals to secure a stunning 3-2 victory and a place in the World Cup quarter-finals.
After the match, Ziko did not hide his anger.
"Congratulations to Argentina on winning the World Cup. This tournament is completely rigged. The referee was unfair, unfair, unfair. He destroyed the work of an entire nation," he said.
"He was against us from the first minute. We cannot accept going out like this after leading 2-0. This World Cup is rigged."
The Egyptian international also apologised to supporters.
"I'm sorry. We wanted to make our fans happy. But today it wasn't in our hands. It was in the referee's hands."
Speaking to reporters later, Ziko repeated his criticism.
"We weren't afraid of anyone. We played to win and showed that throughout the match. But in the second half, very strange things started happening. There were too many fouls against us, our goal was disallowed, and there were too many decisions that were difficult to understand."
Egypt's biggest complaints centred on two incidents.
The first came in the 58th minute when Ziko thought he had doubled Egypt's lead. Following a VAR review, French referee François Letexier disallowed the goal for a foul on Lisandro Martínez earlier in the attacking move.
Ziko eventually scored again later in the match to make it 2-0, but the advantage proved insufficient.
The second controversial moment arrived shortly before Argentina's winning goal. Egypt appealed for a penalty after Mohamed Salah went down in the box following a challenge from Julián Álvarez. Letexier waved play on immediately, and VAR did not recommend an on-field review.
The decision sparked furious protests from the Egyptian bench, resulting in two yellow cards for players and a red card for an assistant coach.
Argentina completed the comeback moments later, ending Egypt's memorable World Cup campaign and leaving the Pharaohs with a lasting sense of frustration over the decisive refereeing calls.