New York, America – Zahran Mamdani, Mayor of New York City, sparked controversy after he commented on the Egyptian national team’s loss to Argentina in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, considering that the “Pharaohs” were subjected to injustice during the match.
The Egyptian national team had bid farewell to the World Cup competitions after losing to Argentina by a score of (3-2), in a match that witnessed many controversial refereeing decisions, most notably the cancellation of a goal by Mustafa Zico, in addition to Egyptian demands to award a penalty kick before the third goal for “Tango”.
A striking comment from the mayor of New York
Mamdani’s remarks came during a public event to announce a program aimed at developing the city’s bus network under the slogan “Next stop better buses and faster service,” where he highlighted the project’s benefits in reducing daily commuting times.
The British newspaper “Mirror” quoted Mamdani as saying: “If you take the bus to work, the time you waste accumulates quickly. In six months you will have saved 24 hours, and at the end of the year you will have recovered more than two full days of commuting time”.
He added: “This means being able to have breakfast with your family, find time to discuss the referee’s decisions during your child’s baseball game, and get home in time before bedtime”.
“Egypt was robbed”
The mayor of New York concluded his remarks by referring to the Egypt-Argentina match, saying: “It also means sitting down with your friends and agreeing that the Egyptian national team was robbed in yesterday’s match, and above all, it means restoring time to New Yorkers who are sorely lacking this precious resource”.
