Argentina FA investigates suspected cyberattack after controversial FIFA World Cup win against Egypt

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) says it is investigating a possible cyber attack after unauthorised emails were reportedly sent from one of its official accounts criticising the refereeing in Argentina's dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt at the FIFA World Cup. Argentina, the reigning world champions, appeared headed for a surprise Round of 16 exit after falling 2-0 behind against Egypt before staging a remarkable late comeback to secure a place in the quarterfinals.

Following the match, the Egyptian Football Association called on FIFA to remove French referee Francois Letexier and his officiating team from the tournament, alleging that key decisions favoured Argentina. Argentine news outlet La Calle reported that emails sent from an official AFA account to journalists claimed ‘Argentina did not win’ and alleged the victory resulted from 'corrupt refereeing decisions'. The messages also praised Egypt's performance.

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According to the publication, sources within the AFA suggested the emails may have been sent by a group of hackers believed to be of Egyptian origin. In response, the AFA issued a statement acknowledging the incident and confirming that it is investigating the possibility of unauthorized access to one of its institutional email accounts. "We want to inform you that we have detected the possible sending of emails from one of our institutional accounts that were not generated or authorised by our team."

The association urged the public to ignore any suspicious emails received from its account. “Dismiss any message that you have recently received from our account and that is unusual, especially if it contains links, attachments or requests personal information”. The AFA added that cybersecurity measures are being implemented while the matter is investigated.

"There is a possibility that our account has been subject to unauthorised access, so we are working to clarify what happened and adopt the necessary security measures," the AFA added. Egypt had taken control of the Round of 16 clash with first-half goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico, putting Argentina on the brink of elimination. Cristian Romero sparked Argentina's comeback by reducing the deficit in the 79th minute before Lionel Messi leveled the score five minutes later.

Enzo Fernandez completed the dramatic turnaround with a stoppage-time winner, sending Argentina into the quarterfinals, where they will face Switzerland on Sunday. After the match, Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan strongly criticised the officiating and suggested the defending champions had received favorable treatment.

Hassan said his team had been ‘treated unfairly’ and ‘suffered injustice’. "Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running. "The world champion received support at every level. There seem to be pressures from the Argentina side on this outcome."