Ali Thameem
“Security is an illusion, just like the integrity of that match”. This was the first line of an email sent from inside the Argentinian FA on Thursday.
The Argentine Football Federation (AFA) is currently investigating what it says is an incident where mass emails were addressed to journalists calling for “justice” for Egypt.
“There is a possibility that our account has been subject to unauthorized access,” the AFA said via The Athletic.
The Tuesday’s match between Argentina and Egypt will be remembered as one of the most dramatic games in World Cup history, with Argentina coming back from a two-goal deficit by scoring three goals in the final 13 minutes of play.
But it was Egypt’s disallowed goal in the 60th minute, canceled after VAR review, and a potential foul in Argentina’s penalty box that set off the ongoing debate about officiating and conspiracy theories of favoritism.
“90 minutes of unfair refereeing and phantom decisions cannot be hidden behind a trophy”, states the reportedly hacked email. “If there is no justice on the pitch, do not expect peace in your networks”, warned the hackers. “Consider this transmission a permanent record of our protest”.
What stands out from the message was that those who wrote the email believed Egypt was robbed primarily because the team members stood up for Palestine. “Targeted for standing with Palestine. You can’t break honor. Free Palestine Forever”, reads the email.
Among contingents of the World Cup, The Egypt coach Hossam Hassan, has notably been the biggest voice speaking up for the Palestinian people.
Hossam, who is also the all-time top scorer for Egypt, was seen draping a Palestinian flag after their RO32 win over Australia.
In his pre-match news conference before the Argentina game, the Egypt coach was asked to describe his emotions when he displayed the Palestinian flag.
“If a person anywhere in the world does not feel for the Palestinian people, then they have lost part of their humanity,” he replied, via Reuters.
“What came out of me was simply a human reaction. Before being Arab, Muslim, Christian or anything else, I am a human being. Through football — the world’s soft power — I want to send a message: please let the Palestinian people live. I ask athletes and journalists everywhere to help deliver that message.” – Hossam Hassan
The Palestinian flag has been seen at several World Cup games in the United States, Mexico and Canada this year, just as it was during the 2022 edition in Qatar.
The AFA said in a statement it would conduct the necessary checks with its IT department, while asking those who received the messages to ignore them.
