Egypt's head coach, Hossam Hassan, drew significant attention after directing a gesture toward the officiating crew during his side's FIFA World Cup Round of 16 defeat to Argentina.
At Atlanta Stadium, Egypt squandered a 2-0 advantage to fall 3-2 to Lionel Messi's Argentina, keeping the reigning World Cup champions' bid for back-to-back titles very much alive. Late in the game, several Egyptian players and coaching staff members were booked by French referee Francois Letexier.
A member of Egypt's coaching staff was even shown a red card in the 94th minute, with viewers alleging the match was rigged following a crucial VAR ruling that went against the African nation — a call that could have sealed victory for Egypt, as per The Mirror US.
As the chaos ensued, Hassan raised both arms to form an "X" symbol. When the head coach made the gesture directly in front of Letexier, the French referee appeared to pay no attention to the Egyptian manager's appeal.
The symbol itself carries a specific meaning under FIFA's universal guidelines for reporting racist abuse. When a player, coach, or team official crosses their arms to form an X, it serves as a signal to the referee that racist abuse has taken place at some point during the match.
Once the referee acknowledges the gesture, a three-step protocol is set in motion at their discretion, beginning with a swift halt to the match. Should the abuse persist, the game will be suspended, and if it continues beyond that point, the match will ultimately be abandoned. However, rather than following this procedure, Hassan was shown a yellow card, and play resumed.
The reasoning behind Hassan's booking remains unclear, though it was evident that tensions had been building throughout the game. In the second half, it appeared that Mostka Ziko had handed Egypt a 2-0 advantage, catching the Argentinian defense off guard following an impressive run alongside Mohamed Salah.
However, referee Letexier was directed by VAR to review a potential foul on the opposite side of the field. Upon examination, it was ruled that Lisandro Martinez had been illegally brought down by an Egyptian player.
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Although Ziko found the net legitimately six minutes later, supporters took to social media to voice their outrage, convinced that officials were conspiring to keep Messi's side on track for World Cup glory.
"This tournament is rigged. Corruption at display, robbing Egypt of the goal," one fan wrote while another added, "Rigged like always."
Ahmad Yousef, an Egyptian football expert, said on BBC Radio 5 Live: "Huge amounts of disappointment across Egypt. There is so much inconsistency at the moment with VAR and decisions and how far you go back to pull a decision.
"The referee made the wrong decision disallowing Egypt's second goal. There was such a long distance that had gone by and the foul was so minimal so I completely understand why the Egyptian coaching staff and squad are so disappointed. If that was Lionel Messi or someone else in an Argentina shirt, the question is would there have been the same consistency, that is what has really aggrieved people."
Following Ziko's equalizer, Messi struck shortly afterward, before Enzo Fernandez capped the remarkable turnaround with a last-gasp header, sealing a 3-2 victory for Argentina.
Source: Alloutsoccer.com
