Argentine famous music producer Bizarrap added to the state of controversy surrounding his country's national team match against Egypt, which was held for the 2026 World Cup competitions.
The Argentine national team defeated its Egyptian counterpart three goals to two, in the match that brought the two teams together last Tuesday evening at Atlanta Stadium for the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup competitions.
Egypt's national team match against Argentina witnessed many controversial refereeing decisions, most of which favored the Tango dancers, as the team was awarded a penalty in the first half, with a goal for the Pharaohs being disallowed in the second half, while a similar one was awarded to Lionel Messi's teammates.
Bizarrap, who presented the award for best player in that match to Lionel Messi, confirmed that FIFA officials contacted him one day before the match to ask him to present that award.
Bizarrap said in televised statements: "They informed me one day before the match that I would be presenting the award, and of course I agreed, because I love football."
He added: "Usually I prefer not to participate in such matters, but I had hope that we would end the match with a win, and that is what happened."
Bizarrap's words sparked widespread controversy in many international newspapers, including the Portuguese Record, which stated: "These statements were interpreted as new evidence fueling theories of favoritism toward the Argentine national team."
Record newspaper continued: "These statements spread very quickly across social media, as some users considered his words to suggest that he knew in advance that Lionel Messi would win the award for best player in the match, which revived the theories that emerged after the match regarding preferential treatment for the Argentine national team."
The newspaper concluded that the controversy intensified because Bizarrap's statements came only hours after the sharp criticisms directed by the Egyptian national team players and their technical staff at the refereeing crew.
The United States of America is hosting the 2026 World Cup, along with Mexico and Canada, with the participation of 48 teams for the first time in the history of the tournament, during the period from June 11 to July 19.
