Egypt star Mostafa Zico has accused FIFA of rigging the World Cup after his team was sensationally ousted by Argentina despite holding a 2-0 lead at the 79th-minute mark. In the aftermath of the result, conspiracy theories immediately exploded, with FIFA accused of bias and wanting football legend Lionel Messi to stay in the tournament.
VAR controversy fuels allegations
A decision by VAR to disallow a goal from Zico at the 58th minute has added fuel to the fire. A subsequent decision by FIFA to have all Argentinian referees for France’s next clash with Morocco in Boston has sparked a social media storm. “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.”
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan also furious
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan was also furious. “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 announcement sparks social media storm
The conspiracy theory then went into overdrive when the referees were announced for the France match. France is the overwhelming favourite to win the tournament, with Spain second with bookmakers and Argentina third. Fans are gobsmacked by the all-Argentinian set-up for Boston. “FIFA doesnt hide it anymore 😂😂😂😂 All Argentinian (refs ...) why dont you bring Messi to check the VAR too?” one fan raged on social media. Another wrote: “A full Argentinian delegation, you will never beat the allegations.” A third posted: “All Argentina referees for a France match, FIFA trying everything to rig the World Cup for Argentina once again.” And another: “OMG. are you f****** serious?????????? YOU DON’T EVEN HIDE THIS S*** ANYMORE.”
Wider controversy at the tournament
Others posted pictures of Argentina’s flag, calling it the new FIFA logo, while images of FIFA president Gianni Infantino hugging Messi also appeared. It is another layer of controversy to the tournament, after FIFA suspended a red card on the USA’s Folarin Balogun following a call from Donald Trump.
