The Argentina Football Association (AFA) has launched an investigation into a potential cyber attack after emails sent from its official account appeared to criticise the refereeing in the team's dramatic World Cup round-of-16 victory over Egypt.
According to Argentine outlet La Calle, the emails—sent to journalists shortly after the match—claimed that "Argentina did not win" and that the result was down to "corrupt refereeing decisions". They also praised Egypt's performance. AFA sources suggested a group of Egyptian-origin hackers were responsible.
Match Controversy and Egypt's Complaint
The FIFA World Cup 2026 clash in Atlanta saw Argentina score three late goals to overturn a 2-0 deficit and win 3-2. Cristian Romero began the comeback, Lionel Messi equalised, and Enzo Fernandez completed the turnaround in stoppage time.
Egypt's FA subsequently asked FIFA to sanction French referee Francois Letexier and his team for alleged bias. Egypt coach Hossam Hassan claimed his side "suffered injustice", adding: "Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running."
AFA Responds to Suspicious Emails
In a statement, the AFA confirmed it had "detected the possible sending of emails from one of our institutional accounts that were not generated or authorised by our team". It urged recipients to "dismiss any message that you have recently received from our account and that is unusual" and warned against opening attachments or links. The association said it was working to "clarify what happened and adopt the necessary security measures".
Key Takeaways
- The AFA suspects a hack after unauthorised emails criticised the officiating in Argentina's 3-2 win over Egypt.
- Egypt had complained to FIFA about the refereeing and suggested bias in favour of Argentina.
- The emails, reportedly praising Egypt and questioning the result, are believed to be the work of external hackers.
- The AFA has advised the public to ignore suspicious messages and is reinforcing account security.
- The incident adds fuel to ongoing debate about whether Argentina receive favourable treatment at the World Cup.
Quick Facts
Match: Argentina 3-2 Egypt (World Cup round of 16)
Date: 8 July 2026 (approx.)
Key players: Messi, Romero, Fernandez (Argentina); Ibrahim, Zico (Egypt)
Hacking claim: Emails sent from AFA account called result "corrupt"; Egyptian-origin hackers suspected
