New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani revealed that Egypt was "robbed" in the 2026 World Cup during the Argentina match.
Egypt's national team bid farewell to the 2026 World Cup from the round of 16 after losing 3-2 to Argentina.
New York Mayor said during the "Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service" conference: "To achieve our goals, now, if you take the bus to work, you waste a lot of time. And after 6 months you will spend 24 hours less on the bus".
He added, "And after a year you will save more than two days of commuting time. And that means having breakfast with your family. And it means having time to discuss and object to the referees' decisions in your child's little league baseball game".
He concluded, "It means getting home at bedtime. And it means agreeing with your friends that Egypt was robbed (refereeing injustice) yesterday. And above all, it means giving back time to New Yorkers who barely have enough of it".
The Egyptian Football Association filed a complaint with the International Federation "FIFA" after the events of the Egypt-Argentina match in the World Cup.
The Football Association stated, "The French referee committed grave refereeing errors and double standards, which caused the Egyptian national team to lose the match and exit the World Cup."
The Football Association explained, "Abu Rida demanded an investigation into the entire refereeing crew, including the video assistant referees, due to the blatant errors and the insistence on not reviewing some incidents that we believe are in favor of the Egyptian national team and in which we see the Pharaohs' right to a valid goal and a penalty kick."
He added, "Abu Rida demanded the exclusion of the referee and the entire crew from the World Cup after investigating these errors and proving the crime of discrimination against the Egyptian national team and causing it to lose the match and exit the tournament."
He added, "Abu Rida praised the performance of the Egyptian national team players and described them as heroes and their performance as historic against the defending champions, while at the same time apologizing to the Egyptian people and Egyptian football fans for failing to maintain the lead until the end of the match and achieve the Egyptians' dream."
Abu Rida expressed his deep gratitude and that of all members of the delegation for all the support the Egyptian national team received from the fans, the media, officials, and the political leadership.
Egypt's national team bid farewell to the World Cup from the round of 16 after losing to Argentina 3-2.
The referee canceled a goal for Mustafa Zico in the 58th minute, citing a foul by Marwan Attia against Argentina player Lisandro Martínez.
He also overlooked awarding a penalty kick to Mohamed Salah in the second minute of stoppage time, allowing the ball to rebound and the Argentine national team to score the third goal.
French referee François Letexier sparked controversy after his refereeing decisions during the match.
The Football Association revealed through its media center that Hani Abu Rida, the federation president, filed a complaint with FIFA, demanding an investigation into the referee following the grave refereeing errors.
