Hackers hijack Argentina football federation to demand "justice" for Egypt
The attackers warn that if there is no justice on the pitch, there won’t be “peace in your networks”.
Image by ACHPF | Shutterstock
- Hackers used an AFA email account to send mass messages demanding "justice" for Egypt after Argentina’s 3-2 win.
- The attackers claimed biased officiating and a reversed VAR goal cost Egypt the World Cup round-of-16 match.
- AFA said the emails were unauthorized, urged recipients to ignore unusual messages, and investigated the breach.
- The incident highlights how sports disputes can trigger cyberattacks targeting institutions and possibly exposing sensitive data.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Argentina's Football Federation (AFA) said on July 10 it was investigating an incident of unauthorized access to one of its institutional email accounts following a wave of mass emails demanding "justice" for Egypt after the controversial World Cup round-of-16 match.
The unauthorized emails with the subject line “SYSTEM HACKED: UNFAIR DECISION” were sent to journalists after the round-of-16 match between the teams on Tuesday.
The match ended with Argentina beating Egypt 3-2 in what was described as “a stunning late comeback”. However, the Egyptian team was left angered by what it considers unfair and biased officiating. Egypt believed it had doubled its lead in the 58th minute, but the goal was overturned after a VAR review.
The email, seen by The Athletic, begins with “the robbery will not go unnoticed” and states that “security is an illusion, just like the integrity of that match”. It says that “Egypt played with absolute honor” yet had victory stripped away “by corrupt calls”.
The attackers also claim that Egypt’s coach was “targeted for standing with Palestine.”
They warn that if there is no justice on the pitch, there won’t be “peace in your networks”. The email is signed by “All Egyptian Cyber Warriors.”
The AFA acknowledged that emails had been sent from one of its institutional accounts but were not generated or authorized by its team. It was investigating the incident on Thursday.
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“Given this situation, and while we carry out the corresponding verifications together with the Systems area, we ask that you disregard any message you have recently received from our account that seems unusual, especially if it contains links, attachments or requests for personal information,” the AFA said on its website.
The scope of the incident has not yet been determined, but Crypto Briefing cited reports from Argentine and Uruguayan media suggesting the intruders may have accessed parts of the AFA’s database, including email addresses and passwords.
On Friday, an AFA spokesperson pointed back to its previous statement, telling The Athletic that there was nothing more to add because the situation had been “resolved.”
