The Argentine Football Association has confirmed a breach of its official email accounts after unauthorized messages were sent to accredited journalists following Argentina’s controversial 3-2 win over Egypt in the World Cup round of 16.
The emails claimed Argentina’s victory was the result of “corrupt refereeing decisions” and praised Egypt’s performance in the match.
The AFA quickly denied any involvement, confirming the messages did not come from its communications team and were not authorized in any way.
According to The Independent, the federation said its database had been accessed without authorization, with email addresses and passwords potentially exposed. The AFA has launched a formal investigation and urged the public to disregard suspicious messages requesting personal information or containing unfamiliar links.
A controversial finish fueled the anger
Egypt led 2-0 through goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko, before a second Ziko goal was ruled out and a penalty appeal was turned down. Enzo Fernández scored Argentina’s winner in the 92nd minute.
The Egyptian FA has lodged a formal complaint with FIFA calling for the removal of referee François Letexier. Egypt manager Hossam Hassan suggested there had been pressure on officials that favored Argentina, and Ziko publicly said the tournament was “fixed.”
FIFA’s Chief Refereeing Officer Pierluigi Collina defended the officiating, stating “nobody can question the integrity” of referees at the tournament.
Data breaches involving official organizations are becoming increasingly common. Discord confirmed a similar incident last year after a third-party breach exposed sensitive user data, with the company later clarifying it stemmed from a vendor rather than its own systems.
