In the English language, there are two meanings for the word "play"; it can mean "game", and it can mean "play"..
And in yesterday's Egypt vs. Argentina match, it was not the football game we all know in the sense of equality and fairness between two teams facing each other on the green rectangle with parity, regardless of their names or their market value or the big companies advertising with the players of either team, or which of them plays in the Egyptian or American league or the biggest European clubs.. Rather, it was a play whose script had already been written, whose ending was determined before it began, and which was directed by the French referee who does not deserve to have his name mentioned, and his compatriot the VAR referee, who ignored all the rules that are supposed to be followed according to the laws of football, or even the rules of divine and human equality and justice.
The signs of the "vargentina" play (a linguistic blend between VAR and Argentina to express the refereeing controversy in the match) appeared in the VAR's complete non-intervention from the beginning of the match until its end in any play in favor of the Egyptian national team: from a foul without the ball against player Emam Ashour in his face, which requires calling the referee; because the law mandates a sending-off, or at least a caution for the player in this incident, as the first half also witnessed Mohamed Salah being pushed on the edge of Argentina's penalty area, and Haitham Hassan being subjected to a violent challenge that warrants a caution.. And in all these incidents the referee awarded nothing except a free kick in favor of Haitham Hassan!
And in the second half, Mostafa Shobier was subjected to a challenge that warrants a caution, and the referee disallowed Egypt's second goal scored by Zizo from a pass by Mohamed Salah after "vargentina" intervention, and his return to play about 20 seconds before the goal was scored in an incident at least 100 yards away from Argentina's goal, on the pretext that player Martinez was fouled by Marwan Attia, and I will not comment here on Salah being subjected to a violent challenge that at least deserves a caution, or even a deserved penalty for Hamdy Fathy as a result of being pulled by player McAllister, but I will go directly to the climax of the tragedy in the play when the exact same incident that led to the disallowance of Egypt's second goal was repeated in Argentina's third goal, under the same circumstances of 20 seconds and 100 yards, when Salah was tripped and the attack turned into the unjust goal that eliminated Egypt and sent Argentina to the quarter-finals.. And when Salah went to the referee and requested VAR intervention, the referee immediately signaled to award the goal, and even distributed cautions to Egyptian players Mostafa Shobier and Hamdy Fathy, sent off Saafan Al-Sagheer the goalkeepers' coach, and cautioned Hossam Hassan for requesting VAR intervention and protesting the "vargentina" play, and demanding justice, equality, the same measure for all, and fair play.
And despite the consensus of all analysts, referees, and big players from all over the world on the refereeing injustice that Egypt suffered, in addition to the condemnation and mockery by thousands of pages on social media of the "vargentina" play, FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino - who raised the Egyptian flag an hour after the match before the Switzerland vs. Colombia match in an incident whose circumstances or occasion I do not know - have not issued anything until this moment, and will not issue anything except words or a statement not worth reading, similar to the statement he issued after the incident of canceling the sending-off of the American player at the World Cup, in which he affirmed that FIFA is an independent entity that makes its decisions by itself and is not subject to pressures or interventions.
And after all this refereeing injustice or interventions in favor of a certain country or non-interventions in favor of the same country against player Messi (who plays in the American league), who deserved a direct red card after his violent and harmful challenge against the Algerian player in Argentina's first match in the World Cup, I do not know whether the World Cup deserves to be followed and watched?! It certainly deserves if it is a game, and it certainly does not deserve if it is a play.
