New York City Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani found a new victim to champion this week: the Egyptian national soccer team.
The mayor, never one to pass up a grievance, used his own press event for a bus-speed initiative to sneak in a jab at the World Cup, repeatedly claiming the Egyptian national soccer team got cheated in its loss to Argentina.
🚨🇦🇷 NEW: NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani says that Egypt were “robbed” in yesterday’s World Cup game against Argentina pic.twitter.com/bigWXCN04q
— Politics Global (@PolitlcsGlobal) July 8, 2026
The backstory: Argentina staged a stunner of a comeback Tuesday, erasing a 2-0 deficit in the final 15 minutes to beat Egypt 3-2, with Enzo Fernández heading home the winner in the 92nd minute off a Messi-orchestrated night that also saw the Argentine superstar convert a second-half equalizer. Egypt led thanks to goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko — but Ziko’s earlier goal was wiped out by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in the 58th minute for a foul in the buildup.
Egypt’s manager, Hossam Hassan, set the tone postgame, insisting the whole match felt “influential” and complaining that a penalty claim went unchecked while Egypt’s goal got the microscope treatment.
The Egyptian Football Association has since filed a formal complaint with FIFA.
Mamdani, apparently unable to resist a good grievance narrative even when it’s 6,000 miles from Gracie Mansion, jumped on the bandwagon a day later — mixing his bus-lane victory lap with a nod to Egypt’s “injustice.”
Here’s the problem: the evidence doesn’t back him up.
Multiple soccer analysts who’ve broken down the replay say the disallowed goal was correct by the letter of the law — Egyptian midfielder Marwan Attia tugged the shirt of Argentine defender Lisandro Martínez and stepped on his foot while winning the ball that launched the counterattack, making it a legitimate reviewable phase of play under VAR protocol. That’s not a phantom call — that’s a foul.
Later in the contest, with the score level at 2-2, Mohamed Salah tumbled to the ground in the penalty area following a challenge from Nicolas Tagliafico. The referee opted to let play continue; VAR declined to step in, which meant Argentina could launch an attack that ended with Enzo Fernandez heading home a stunning 92nd-minute winner. Replays of the incident suggested Salah went down rather easily, with only minimal contact — Tagliafico’s challenge connected with the ball first, not his opponent’s feet.
And the larger story of the match wasn’t a stolen goal — it was a genuine, jaw-dropping Argentina comeback. Down 2-0 with under 40 minutes left against a team that had gone unbeaten through the tournament, the defending champs scored three unanswered goals in a 14-minute span, with Messi at the center of it after missing a first-half penalty. That’s not officials handing Argentina a trophy — that’s the two-time champs refusing to go home against the tournament’s Cinderella story.
None of that has stopped the pile-on. Egypt’s coach, its federation, and now New York’s mayor are all singing from the same “we were robbed” songbook — despite the tape showing a legal foul call and a legitimately incredible comeback.
Mamdani built a career on playing the underdog card. Turns out he’s happy to play it for a soccer team on another continent, too — evidence be damned.