Argentina Football Association Admits Hack After Victory Over Egypt: Fake Email Questions Referee Integrity in World Cup Match
Following Argentina's 1/8 finals victory over Egypt at the FIFA World Cup, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) suffered a significant cyber intrusion that allowed hackers to send a forged email from an official AFA Medios account to accredited journalists. The message accused French referee Francois Letexier of biased officiating in favor of Argentina, lavishly praised the Egyptian team's performance, and included threatening language tied to the Middle East conflict. AFA quickly denied authorizing the message and confirmed unauthorized access to internal systems, including parts of its database containing emails, passwords, and IP addresses that may now be sold on dark web forums. The fabricated claims closely mirrored public criticisms voiced by Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan and player Mostafa Zico after their elimination. AFA has launched a full investigation to assess the breach's scope and improve security, while advising affected users to change passwords immediately. Argentina, meanwhile, continues preparations for its quarterfinal clash against Switzerland.
securitylab_nJul 14, 2026Translated from Russian