Argentina investigating cyberattack after emails calling World Cup win a ‘robbery’

The Argentine Football Federation (AFA) is investigating a potential security breach after unauthorized emails were sent to journalists calling for justice for Egypt following the dramatic World Cup round-of-16 match. The emails, which referred to Argentina’s 3-2 victory as a "robbery," were reportedly sent from an AFA account.

The match, which saw Argentina overcome a two-goal deficit in the final 13 minutes, sparked significant controversy over officiating. Egypt’s staff and players were particularly angered by a disallowed goal in the 60th minute and a potential penalty claim denied in stoppage time, just moments before the winning goal.

Emails received by media outlets, signed by a group calling itself "All Egyptian Cyber Warriors," claimed the match was "stolen" and alleged that the officiating was unfair. The messages also referenced the political stance of Egypt's head coach, Hossam Hassan, regarding Palestine. The AFA confirmed that it is looking into the incident, stating that the messages were "neither generated nor authorized" by their team.

Hossam Hassan, who was highly critical of the refereeing decisions after the final whistle, claimed the trophy was being "directed towards Argentina" and stated he would "never watch the World Cup again." The federation has advised recipients to ignore the emails while they conduct an internal IT review to determine the origin and scope of the unauthorized access.