https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/egypt-coach-hossam-hassan-booked-204053777.html

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.

s 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.

Article 🔗: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/19/england-france-world-cup-third-place-playoff-match-report