Bangladesh Man Killed in Dispute Over Messi's Penalty Miss During Egypt Match

A 35-year-old man was killed after an argument allegedly linked to Lionel Messi’s missed penalty during Argentina’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match against Egypt escalated into a fight at a tea stall in Cumilla, according to local media reports. The victim, identified as Mohammed Shariful Islam, was watching the match with other football fans when the dispute reportedly broke out late on Tuesday.

The incident reportedly occurred at around 11 pm in the Dhanpur area under Durgapur Union in Adarsha Sadar Upazila. According to a report in The Daily Star, citing Shankar Kumar Das, the officer in charge of the Nazira Bazar Police Outpost, an argument began after Messi missed a penalty in the 21st minute. Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir saved the spot kick after Yasser Ibrahim had given Egypt the lead.

As the argument intensified, two local men identified as Babu and Main Uddin Malu allegedly struck Shariful on the head. Local residents rescued the injured man and took him to Cumilla Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead, police said. Reports indicated that no arrests had been made in connection with the case at the time of reporting.

Also Read: NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Says Egypt Were 'Robbed' in Argentina Loss

Local residents and witnesses quoted by Prothom Alo said Shariful, an auto-rickshaw driver, was supporting Egypt during the match despite primarily being a Brazil supporter. Another auto-rickshaw driver claimed Shariful made a remark to an Argentina supporter after Messi’s penalty miss, which allegedly triggered the confrontation. The argument then escalated into violence, according to the reports.

Shariful’s wife, Beauty Banu, demanded the harshest punishment for those responsible and expressed concern about raising the couple’s two daughters following her husband’s death. She questioned how a dispute over a football match could result in someone being killed and said the incident had devastated her family. Police were continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal clash.

Argentina eventually recovered from a two-goal deficit to defeat Egypt 3-2 in a dramatic match. Cristian Romero scored in the 79th minute before Messi equalised four minutes later, while Enzo Fernandez struck the stoppage-time winner. The victory sent Argentina through to the next round, but the match was overshadowed in Bangladesh by the reported death linked to the dispute among supporters.

Also Read: Cristiano Ronaldo Meets Drake After Portugal's World Cup Win Over Croatia