Spain ‘taught Argentina a lesson’ in World Cup final, says Egypt’s Ahmed Shobier

Spain’s World Cup-winning performance against Argentina has been hailed as a “footballing lesson” by prominent Egyptian broadcaster Ahmed Shobier – who also launched a blistering attack on refereeing standards and world governing body Fifa.

Shobier, a former Egypt goalkeeper and one of the Arab world’s best-known football pundits, praised Spain’s display in the 2026 World Cup final but alleged that Fifa “did everything” to try to help Argentina.

Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the final to lift the trophy for the second time in their history.

‘Spain are a truly great team’

Writing on his account on X (formerly Twitter) after the final, Shobier lauded the new world champions and singled out key figures in Luis de la Fuente’s side.

He posted: “اسبانيا منتخب رايع بحق، لاعبوه منسجمون بشكل كبير، ورودري لاعب استثنايي، ولويس دي لا فوينتي مدرب مميز يمتلك الادوات التي تقوده الى الانتصارات. لقد لقنت اسبانيا الارجنتين درسا في اصول كرة القدم، وفازت رغم الحكم الضعيف، ورغم ان فيفا فعل كل شيء من اجل فوز الارجنتين. انا سعيد للغاية للاسبان”.

Translated, his message reads: “Spain are a truly great team, their players are highly in tune with each other, and Rodri is an exceptional player. Luis de la Fuente is a distinguished coach who has the tools that lead him to victories. Spain taught Argentina a lesson in the fundamentals of football, and they won despite a weak referee, and despite Fifa doing everything for Argentina to win. I am extremely happy for the Spanish.”

The victory in the 2026 final secured Spain’s second World Cup title, adding to their maiden triumph at South Africa 2010 and cementing the status of De la Fuente’s side as the outstanding team of the tournament.

Fury at refereeing and Fifa

Shobier’s praise for Spain was accompanied by fierce criticism of match officials and of Fifa’s handling of the competition, continuing a theme he had pursued throughout the tournament.

The Egyptian commentator has repeatedly suggested that decisions in matches involving Argentina were skewed in favour of the reigning South American champions.

During the quarter-final between Argentina and Switzerland, Shobier strongly condemned the use of the video assistant referee (VAR) in a key incident that saw Swiss forward Breel Embolo sent off. He argued that the intervention worked to Argentina’s advantage.

At the time, he wrote that those refereeing calls “جعلتنا نكره ميسي وكرة القدم” – “made us hate Messi and football”.

His remarks tapped into a wider debate in parts of the Arab and African football community over perceived inconsistencies in refereeing at the top level, especially in high-stakes matches featuring global superstars and major commercial drawcards.

Egypt–Argentina clash added to anger

Shobier’s dissatisfaction did not begin in the latter stages of the World Cup.

He had already voiced frustration after the round-of-16 tie between Egypt and Argentina, a match that became highly contentious in his home country because of several decisions that fans and analysts argued went against the Egyptian national team.

The game sparked an intense public debate in Egypt over the influence of referees and VAR, with Shobier emerging as one of the most outspoken critics. From that point on, he continued to highlight what he saw as a pattern of favourable officiating towards Argentina in multiple knockout matches all the way through to the final.

By the time Spain were crowned champions, his criticism had evolved into an outright accusation that Fifa had tried to engineer an Argentine triumph – an allegation for which he did not provide specific evidence, but which resonated with some supporters who felt aggrieved by the tournament’s officiating.

Spotlight on VAR and global officiating

Shobier’s comments feed into the broader, ongoing global debate about VAR, transparency and trust in refereeing at major tournaments.

While Spain’s win over Argentina has been widely celebrated for its tactical maturity and technical quality, the Egyptian pundit’s remarks ensure that questions over officiating and Fifa’s role will continue to frame discussions about the 2026 World Cup long after the final whistle.