'FIFA wants Messi to win' - Egyptian fans blame referee after World Cup exit
Members of Berlin's Egyptian community expressed frustration after Egypt's 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 on Tuesday, with many accusing the referee of favouring the South American side and claiming the officiating influenced the outcome of the match.
Gathered at a local fan zone to watch the game, supporters criticised several decisions made during the match and alleged that FIFA wanted Lionel Messi and Argentina to advance to the quarter-finals.
"I'm very frustrated because I believe the referee was completely against us. Every time an Argentine player was touched, he gave them a foul, but we didn't get the same treatment. From the beginning, they wanted Argentina to win," said supporter Farah.
"Messi is FIFA's golden boy, we all know that, and they want him to win," he added.
Despite the defeat, Farah praised Egypt's performance and paid tribute to captain Mohamed Salah. "He's a legend. One of the main reasons we wanted to win today was for Salah as well," he said.
Other supporters also voiced frustration with the officiating, with some alleging that teams from the Global South receive unfair treatment. "Everyone knows Infantino is behind it, and the US is behind it. There's so much politics behind it. They just don't want a team from the Global South to win," one supporter claimed.
Fans said they had hoped to see an Egypt-Morocco final. With Egypt now out of the tournament, many said they would be backing Morocco for the remainder of the competition.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
