The match in Atlanta ended in bitter disappointment for the Pharaohs. Egypt manager Hossam Hassan stood by the touchline and made an "X" gesture with his arms toward referee Francois Letexier. His team had just suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat against Argentina in the World Cup round of 16. The gesture came during the tense final moments of a match that slipped through Egypt's fingers.
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Subscribe Sekarang →The game started well for the African side. Egypt built a two-goal lead through clinical strikes from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko within the first 67 minutes. But the South American champions fought back hard. Argentina launched a fierce comeback with goals from Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi, before Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez headed home the winner in the 92nd minute to complete the turnaround.
According to match reports, the Egypt squad felt aggrieved by several refereeing decisions during the second half. The players protested strongly, claiming there was a clear foul in the build-up to Lionel Messi's crucial equalizing goal. The frustration deepened because Egypt had previously seen one of their own goals disallowed for a similar infringement earlier in the contest.
Tempers flared in the technical area as the clock ticked down. Letexier issued a yellow card to a member of the Egyptian coaching staff in the 98th minute. It was during this confrontation that Hassan made the crossed-arms gesture. While the "X" signal is recognized globally within modern FIFA protocols to report instances of alleged racist abuse, the exact intent behind Hassan's action remained unconfirmed on the night.
The manager's brother and assistant coach, Ibrahim Hassan, quickly intervened alongside a substitute player to lower Hassan's hands. Letexier then engaged in a prolonged discussion with both coaches on the sideline. Ibrahim offered a thumbs-up to the official before play resumed, and it remained unclear whether the referee noted the incident for further disciplinary action by football's governing body.
Based on reports from the post-match press conference, Hassan did not hide his anger regarding the officiating. "Why isn't there any fairness in sport? In football?" Hassan told reporters. "I do not want to try to put it nicely here with beautiful wording. We have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice."
The manager revealed that the Egyptian football authorities had formally objected to the appointment of Letexier, who hails from France, prior to the match. Hassan concluded his statement with a personal boycott of the remainder of the competition. "It is my own way of speaking up and standing up," he said. "I am not going to watch a single match of this tournament."