Online Desk 

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has reported being the target of a cyberattack following controversy surrounding Argentina's dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16. The association insists it had no involvement with a series of disputed emails that were allegedly sent from one of its official accounts.

Following the match, several emails circulated among journalists from what appeared to be an official AFA account, claiming that "Argentina did not deserve to win" and that the result was "the product of corrupt refereeing." The messages also praised the performance of the Egyptian national team.

According to Argentine news outlet La Calle, sources within the AFA believe that a group of hackers of Egyptian origin may have been responsible for the cyberattack.

In a statement issued shortly after the incident, the AFA said that unauthorized emails had been sent from one of its institutional accounts. The organization stressed that the messages were neither written nor approved by any of its officials.

The association added that the account was suspected of having been compromised. It urged the public to ignore any unusual emails, suspicious links, attachments, or requests for personal information recently sent from the affected account. The AFA also confirmed that an investigation is underway and that additional cybersecurity measures are being implemented.

In the Round of 16 match in Atlanta, Argentina trailed 2-0 at halftime after goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico put Egypt in control. However, goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi, and an injury-time winner by Enzo Fernández completed a remarkable comeback, giving the defending champions a 3-2 victory.

The match also prompted a formal complaint from the Egyptian Football Association to FIFA over the officiating. Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan alleged that the referee's decisions favored Argentina and claimed that the world champions had received preferential treatment to keep them in the tournament.