The last minutes of the confrontation between the Egyptian national team and its Argentine counterpart in the World Cup final, witnessed dramatic events, not limited to the result, which ended with Argentina winning by three goals to two, but also extended to include accusations of influencing the outcome of the confrontation.
In the midst of the tension and controversy surrounding the refereeing crisis after the match, social media platforms were flooded with pictures and video clips that their publishers claimed showed the President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, reacting with sadness and shock to the course of the match from the main box.
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Anger and accusations of bias
The match – which the Federation President described in a post on his official Instagram account as exciting and will remain in the memory for a long time – turned into a massive wave of anger against him, amid accusations of “bias” and widespread Arab and Egyptian criticism.
Immediately after the end of the “Pharaohs” match, accounts on digital platforms published a video clip that they claimed documented Infantino’s moment of anger and sadness at Atlanta Stadium after Egypt scored its second goal against Argentina.
Shock and sadness
The circulating clip showed a state of shock that gripped the FIFA President after scoring the second goal, as he remained fixed in his seat despite the crazy celebrations of those around him, in a scene that the clip circulators interpreted as “dissatisfaction” with Egypt’s historic progress.
Activists pointed out that Infantino was “exposed by the cameras,” accusing the system of “bias and lack of transparency,” and the clip garnered more than 10 million views on just one account.
One of the bloggers said that the FIFA President proved that “one second of silence or frowning is more dangerous than a thousand statements,” stressing that neutrality is an act that appears on the face before it is written in the regulations.
Wide promotion and interaction
The video spread like wildfire when prominent sports pages began promoting it with catchy headlines that left the interpretation up to viewers, which reinforced the hypothesis of bias.
The satirical account “Troll Football”, which is followed by more than 4 million people, published two pictures that it claimed were of Infantino’s reactions. He appeared happy after a penalty kick was awarded to Argentina, and upset after Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Schubert saved it, while one of his companions consoled him.
Commentators claimed that the pictures were not random, but rather reflected “arbitration facilities” provided to Argentina.
Media involvement
The matter did not stop at social media platforms, but extended to Egyptian newspapers and media outlets, as Sada El Balad newspaper published a picture of Infantino on its official website, with a title indicating his “shock” after missing the penalty kick.
Egyptian journalist Osama Kamal also allocated space on the DMC channel to show circulating pictures of the FIFA president placing his hand on his head after Schubert blocked the kick, and one of his guests commented sarcastically: “The money will be wasted.”
What is the reality of the scenes?
The Al Jazeera Network’s Open Source Unit verified the photos and videos that followed the match, and found that they were either misleading or outdated and were used in the wrong context to promote criticism against the FIFA President.
Reverse search techniques showed that the video clip circulating of Infantino is old, and dates back to a match between Morocco and the Netherlands last June 29 in the World Cup, and has nothing to do with the match between the “Pharaohs.”
The video was not taken in US stadiums, as the booth in which Infantino appears belongs to Monterrey Stadium in Mexico, and not the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, USA, where the Egypt-Argentina match was held.
The unit also monitored the spread of similar photos days before the “Pharaohs” match via posts on Facebook, which denies their connection to his reaction to the Egyptian team’s progress.
It was also noted during the verification that there were modifications to the scoreboard (the poster) to appear in a different color and design than the original design approved for the World Cup, and the abbreviation “EGY” indicating Egypt appeared distorted to (EGV) in some pictures.
On the other hand, visual distortions were found in Infantino’s finger while he was placing his hand on his head, which confirms that the scenes were modified using digital techniques.
Historical record numbers
The confrontation between Argentina and Egypt entered the history of the World Cup after one of the most exciting comebacks in the tournament, as the Argentine team remained two goals behind until the 78th minute, before turning the score to a 3-2 victory in normal time, becoming the first team to achieve this achievement after being behind by two goals or more at this late time in the match.
Despite the bitter exit, the Egyptian team entered the World Cup records, after it became the first African team to lead by two goals against the defending champion, before losing the match with a score of 3-2, in an unprecedented incident in the history of African teams in the World Cup.
Goalkeeper Mustafa Szuber also continued his brilliance, becoming one of only three goalkeepers during the current century to save two or more penalty kicks in one edition of the World Cup, along with Polish Wojciech Szczesny in the 2022 edition, and American Brad Friedel in the 2002 World Cup.
