New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has become the latest high-profile figure to back Egypt after its controversial 3-2 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 loss to Argentina, declaring that the African side was “robbed” in a statement that quickly went viral amid a growing debate about officiating.Mamdani’s comments came a day after Lionel Messi inspired defending champions Argentina to one of the most spectacular comebacks in World Cup history, overturning a 2-0 deficit in the final 15 minutes to eliminate Mohamed Salah’s Egypt and book a place in the quarter-finals.
Mamdani backs Egypt on viral ‘robbed’ statement
Speaking during the launch of the “Next Stop: Better Buses, Faster Service” initiative in New York City, Mamdani unexpectedly addressed the World Cup controversy while highlighting how commuters could benefit from faster bus service.“Today, if you take the bus to work, it’s fast,” Mamdani said. “Within six months, you spend 24 hours on the bus. After a year, you save more than two days in commuting time.”He continued: “That means breakfast with your family. It means having time to wrangle balls and strike out at your kid’s Little League game. It means getting home at bedtime.”Then came the line that got loud cheers from the audience.“It means your friends agree that Egypt was robbed yesterday. Above all, it means that time has returned to New Yorkers who can hardly get enough of it.”The mayor’s remarks were immediately heard by supporters who believed that Egypt had been denied a fair result, although it did not change the official result that sent Argentina after Messi inspired a surprising late change.Mamdani’s comments also echoed a growing chorus of criticism from Egyptian players, coaches and fans, many of whom said key refereeing decisions favored the reigning world champions.
VAR controversy fuels ‘rigged’ claims after Argentina return
The controversy centered around several flashpoints that changed the momentum of the match.Early in the second half, Egypt thought they had doubled their advantage when Mostafa Ziko found the net after an impressive team move. However, after a lengthy VAR review, referee officials ruled that Marwan Attia had fouled Lisandro Martínez early in the build-up, leading to the goal being disallowed.Many analysts and supporters argued that the foul occurred too far before the goal for VAR to intervene, making the decision one of the tournament’s biggest talking points.Egypt still managed to establish a 2-0 lead soon after, but Argentina came back spectacularly. Messi sparked the revival by assisting Cristian Romero in the 79th minute before Argentina scored twice more, completing a remarkable 3-2 victory in stoppage time.Another controversial moment came when Julián Álvarez escaped without receiving a penalty following a challenge on Salah, adding more fuel to accusations that key calls favored Argentina.Afterwards, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan, several players and the Egyptian Football Association openly questioned the officiating, with some describing the tournament as “rigged” in favor of Argentina.The Egyptian Football Association said it “cannot remain silent” over what it described as inconsistent and unfair refereeing, insisting that several important decisions directly influenced the outcome of the match.FIFA’s head of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, dismissed suggestions of bias, defending VAR’s intervention and stressing that “a foul is a foul” no matter how far before it happened. He also warned that baseless allegations against match officials could lead to threats and abuse.