Egypt Coach Hossam Hassan Faces FIFA Sanction Over Anti-Racism Gesture Toward Messi

The British newspaper The Sun revealed that Hossam Hassan, coach of the Egypt national football team, is at risk of facing disciplinary action from FIFA due to an anti-racism gesture he made following an altercation with Argentine legend Lionel Messi.

Egypt was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina on Tuesday in the round of 16. This marked Egypt's first appearance in the knockout stages in their World Cup history, in a match that featured several contentious refereeing decisions.

The referee issued a yellow card to Hossam Hassan during the game. According to the report on The Sun's website, Hassan may encounter difficulties after crossing his arms above his head in an anti-racism sign following a dispute with Lionel Messi, who responded to him by simply asking, "What's wrong with you?"

It is worth noting that the Egyptian Football Association filed a complaint with FIFA after the match concerning refereeing errors. The association expressed "strong dissatisfaction with the refereeing performance in the match officiated by French referee François Letexier, and some decisions related to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology that raised many questions," especially amid widespread criticism from various media outlets and sports analysts regarding the officiating.