Argentina FA probes cyberattack after hacked email calls World Cup win over Egypt 'robbery'

Match controversy

Argentina reached the World Cup quarter-finals after a stunning comeback from 2-0 down with 11 minutes remaining to beat Egypt 3-2 in the round of 16. The game, however, was mired in controversy. Egypt had a Mostafa Zico goal disallowed by VAR in the 62nd minute, a decision that would have doubled their lead. Head coach Hossam Hassan claimed his side was also denied a penalty in stoppage time moments before Enzo Fernandez scored Argentina's third goal.

I will never watch the World Cup again, because there's no justice in this competition.

Egypt’s FA lodged an official complaint to FIFA demanding the removal of referee Francois Letexier and his team. FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina defended the officials, rejecting bias allegations and insisting referees operated independently.

Hacked emails

In the aftermath, the AFA detected the sending of emails from one of its institutional accounts that it says were “neither generated nor authorized by our team.” The emails were sent to journalists and included subject lines like “SYSTEM HACKED: UNFAIR DECISION” and claimed “the robbery will not go unnoticed.” One message, seen by The Athletic, was signed by “All Egyptian Cyber Warriors” and described the result as “stolen,” while referencing coach Hassan’s support for Palestine.

Security is an illusion, just like the integrity of that match.

The AFA said it is carrying out “corresponding verifications together with the systems team” and asked recipients to disregard the messages. Argentine news outlet Le Calle reported that the hackers were of Egyptian origin and breached the federation’s database, obtaining email addresses, passwords and IP addresses.

Official reactions

On the eve of Argentina’s quarter-final against Switzerland, defender Lisandro Martinez dismissed the refereeing debate. “I think they are doing an excellent job,” he told reporters. “That’s something for you (the media), who sometimes generate the controversies. We concern ourselves with giving our best on the pitch and nothing more.” Teammate Cristian Romero, who scored Argentina’s first goal against Egypt, said the team focuses on correcting its own shortcomings regardless of the opponent.

What’s next

Argentina take on Switzerland on Saturday in Kansas City. Martinez called it “a great spectacle because both teams try to play,” while noting the Europeans’ physical strength and set-piece threat. The defending champions are aiming for a semi-final berth while the AFA continues its investigation into the cyberattack.