Drogba: Egypt Was the Real Winner, Not Argentina

Didier Drogba, the Ivorian football legend, sharply criticized the referee of the Egypt vs. Argentina match in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, which ended with Argentina winning 3-2. He believes that VAR played a significant role in Argentina's advancement to the quarter-finals of the tournament. In a television interview, the Ivory Coast icon stated: "Thank God VAR wasn't around in our time. Look at the brilliant run by Haitham Hassan and Mohamed Salah to create the goal, where was the referee then? Was the whistle missing from his hand? He only intervened after the ball hit the net." Drogba also pointed out FIFA President Gianni Infantino's reaction during the match, saying: "You can see Infantino's reaction, and I think he wished he could cancel Zico's second goal." He mocked some fans' comments, saying: "Some say Argentina is playing in the Africa Cup of Nations because they have faced mostly African teams since the start of the tournament, but I see Egypt as the real winner of the match tonight." He concluded his remarks by saying: "Sometimes I blame African teams for not maintaining their leads until the final whistle, but how can they do that if the referee and VAR are always against them? We Africans deserve better than this."