Robbery from Egypt? The VAR controversy that saved Argentina in the 2026 World Cup
Mostafa Ziko launched the harsh accusation against the French referee François Letexier for accepting the VAR Jérôme Brisard review against Egypt
The Argentina National Team made an epic 3-2 comeback against Egypt in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, but the match was not immune to controversy. The Pharaohs squad exploded with fury against the refereeing of Frenchman François Letexier, pointing directly at the video referee booth for taking away a historic advantage.
“It was unfair”: Mostafa Ziko's harsh accusation
Mostafa Ziko, Egyptian forward and scorer of one of the valid goals, led the protests after the disallowance of a goal that would have meant a partial 3-0 for the Africans. At the end of the match, the attacker did not hold anything back: "The referee was not good, he was unfair. His injustice was evident. He persecuted us from the beginning of the game. He does not want us to win. No matter what happens, Argentina is going to win the World Cup."
The Egyptian claims focused on two key plays:
The goal disallowed for Ziko: The VAR invalidated the action due to a previous stomp on the “Araña” Julián Álvarez. The penalty not taken: The Africans demanded a maximum penalty that the refereeing trio decided not to grant in the complement. The controversial record of Jérôme Brisard in the VAR
The Pharaohs squad cannot understand the actions of the VAR manager, Jérôme Brisard, whom they accuse of lack of impartiality. African fans and analysts were quick to remember the French referee's controversial record in the UEFA Champions League:
Real Madrid's discomfort: Against Manchester City, the white team accused Brisard of a "double standard" after noticing a grab from Rüdiger, ignoring a similar foul on Asensio minutes later. The chaos in Atlético vs. Barcelona: Brisard was also the protagonist from the booth when he called Clément Turpin to change a yellow card for a direct red to Eric García, in a play that sentenced the culé's elimination. Argentina revived at the hands of Messi
Despite complaints about the refereeing of the French triplet, the Argentine team demonstrated its champion status. After being trailed by goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Ziko himself, the Albiceleste reacted in the last ten minutes.
With scores from Cristian 'Cuti' Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernández, those led by Lionel Scaloni sealed a heroic pass to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, leaving Egypt with a broken heart and a sea of referee doubts.