Mostafa Zico also declared the World Cup 'fixed' after Lionel Messi and Argentina mounted an improbable comeback to oust Egypt.

Lionel Messi and the Egypt coach were involved in a heated exchange after Argentina beat Egypt 3-2 in a controversial FIFA World Cup match.

The small coffee house in Cairo was turned Tuesday into a tiny stadium. Several hundred people, mostly men and boys as young as seven, gathered around wall-mounted screens ahead of the kickoff whistle.

A top-level referee, who officiated in the 2022 World Cup, has admitted that Egypt were undone in the Round of 16 match against Argentina because of a poor VAR call.

Angry Egypt demand FIFA kicks out officials over Argentina World Cup controversy - Egypt have made an official complaint and want an investigation into what they claim were “serious mistakes” and “dou

Argentina's dramatic comeback from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 has been overshadowed by refereeing controversy, with Egypt coach Hossam Hassan accusing match officials of "cheating" his side out of a place in the quarter-finals.