Egypt Manager Sparks Controversy with Mysterious ‘X’ Gesture, Faces Yellow Card in Argentina Clash
So Egypt’s manager, Hossam Hassan, went all out during their nail-biting World Cup clash with Argentina—throwing up an X gesture with his arms and promptly getting slapped with a yellow card. Now, isn’t it ironic? A symbol introduced by FIFA to call out racism ends up on the naughty list in the heat of a fiercely contested game where Egypt led 2-0 before Argentina’s dramatic comeback sealed their fate at 3-2. Hassan’s frustration was palpable as he openly questioned the fairness of the refereeing decisions, painting a picture of pressure and bias. And while we’re left wondering what specific incident prompted this powerful gesture, it’s clear the emotions ran high on and off the pitch. Makes you think—when the game’s about more than just goals, do the rules always keep up with the heartbeats of the players?
Egypt’s manager Hossam Hassan lashed out after he was given a yellow card after making an X gesture with his arms during his side’s match against Argentina.
Egypt have exited the World Cup after being beaten 3-2 in Atlanta.
Things started off well for Hassan’s side, who were leading 2-0, but Argentina managed a late comeback to secure the win.
During the game, Hassan was seen making an X with his arms and was subsequently given a yellow card.
The gesture was introduced by FIFA as a way for players and officials to report racist incidents.
It’s unclear what alleged incident of racism Hassan was referring to with his gesture.
In a post-match interview, Hassan didn’t hold back when it came to making his feelings about the game known.
Hossam Hassan made an X gesture during the game (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
According to The Athletic, Hassan criticised referee Francois Letexier and the Argentina players.
“We haven’t seen respect or fair play,” he said.
“A penalty was ruled out and a second (incident) that should have been checked for a penalty for us was not even checked by the VAR. A second goal was remarkably, for whatever reason, disallowed.
“There seems to have been pressure on the Argentinian side on the referee that has brought about this outcome.
“Life is unfair. The world is unfair. OK, but why isn’t there any fairness in sports? I’m not convinced by this outcome and by the way things unfolded in this match.”
Egyptian goalscorer Mostafa Zico also hit at the game, telling reporters from TSN: “It was not fair from the referee. It was really not fair, that was very clear.
He was shown a yellow card (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
“He wasted all of our efforts with his decisions. We were leading 2-0 and we cannot do anything, it’s all up to God.
“We are so sorry. I am so sorry. We wanted to make you all happy. It was not in the cards. It was the referee. The cup is directed towards Argentina.”
What the X gesture means and how it works
According to FIFA, players, match officials and referees can all make a cross with their arms as a way to report racist behaviour, at which point the ref decides if they want to stop the game or not.
From there, match officials can choose to suspend a game which comes with a warning that if the racist incident which caused the match to be suspended does not cease then the entire game can be abandoned.
In the most extreme cases a referee has the power to take things to a third step and abandon the match altogether.
In FIFA’s guidelines it doesn’t say that the person making the gesture should be yellow carded.
Alongside the X gesture, FIFA has also introduced a new rule that means players get a red card if they are seen covering their mouth during the game.
It’s believed players might cover their mouths to guard against lip readers while racially abusing other players, which some suspect has happened in the past.
LADbible Group has contacted FIFA for comment.
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