Hossam Hassan could be in serious trouble with FIFA after shocking footage emerged appearing to show him taking part in disgusting actions towards Argentina fans. Egypt were just 11 minutes away from reaching the World Cup quarter-finals after goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko put the Pharaohs two goals to the good.
But strikes from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez completed a dramatic turnaround for the world champions, who moved one step closer to a second shot at immortality after a devastating 14-minute onslaught. During that spell, however, several contentious decisions added fuel to the fire. A number of Egypt players vented their frustrations at the referee after two penalty appeals were waved away, with a VAR expert later claiming one of those decisions were incorrect.
While a bit of needle is part and parcel of a World Cup tournament, emotions were clearly running high in the aftermath. Footage appears to show the Egypt manager letting his frustrations get the better of him as he became involved in a heated altercation with Argentina supporters while heading down the tunnel, just minutes after being shown a yellow card and drawing backlash for an apparent 'X' gesture.
Egypt Boss Caught in Disgusting Footage After World Cup Exit
Hassan is a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause and has used the World Cup stage to make political statements on several occasions throughout the tournament. As a result, the sight of an Israeli flag being waved in front of him by supporters of the nation that had just inflicted such a cruel elimination appeared to be the final straw.
However, as footage appears to show, he may have crossed a line during his fury. A video circulating on social media allegedly shows Hassan spitting in the direction of Argentina fans as tensions boiled over in the immediate aftermath of the dramatic defeat (watch the incident below) :
Under FIFA rules, spitting at another person is treated as a serious offence and can lead to a significant suspension. FIFA’s Disciplinary Code lists spitting as a form of assault, alongside actions such as hitting, kicking, biting or punching. As such, the code states there should be at least three matches’ suspension or an appropriate period of time.
He was later asked if his comments on Palestine were the reason Egypt were punished. “I don’t want to talk about that. We were speaking about a humanitarian cause. Does anyone feel for the one who lost his sight, or the one whose hand was cut off? We want football to help spread humanity," he reacted.
“They must support this cause because it is a humanitarian one. In that country, children are dying while wearing Argentina, City, Real Madrid and Barcelona shirts. These people love you and they love football, but you are still killing them.”
Argentina has benefited from multiple controversial refereeing decisions during the competition, including in their most recent game against Egypt.
Hossam Hassan Accuses FIFA of Favouring Lionel Messi For Marketing
During his post-match interview, he also stunningly claimed that FIFA are working with Argentina and Lionel Messi for 'marketing purposes. He told media (watch his untranslated interview below) :
“They want Argentina and Messi to stay in the World Cup for marketing. If they wanted Argentina to win, why invite other teams to participate? This match was clearly rigged, and the whole world witnessed it.
“We were better than Argentina, and football is unfair. We had a clear penalty that the referee didn't award, and Ziko's goal at the start of the second half was disallowed, even though it was perfectly legitimate."
He added: “I will boycott watching the remaining matches of the tournament as a form of protest. I told the players that I thank them and that they can face the biggest teams in the world, provided there is fairness. FIFA promotes fair play, but we don't see it on the pitch.”
"I'm not convinced with this outcome. I'm not convinced with the way things unfolded during this match. I do not want to try to put it nicely here with beautiful wording, selective wording, and saying hard luck, and so on and so forth. We have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice."
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