Egypt's head coach Hossam Hassan was booked by referee Francois Letexier after making a gesture with his arms in the dying moments of the World Cup round of 16 match against Argentina, as VAR controversy sparked a meltdown. Hassan raised both arms to form an 'X' symbol, which is FIFA's universally recognised gesture for reporting racist abuse. However, instead of following the three-step process to halt the match, Letexier showed Hassan a yellow card and the game continued.
Match Overview
At Atlanta Stadium, Egypt threw away a 2-0 advantage to fall 3-2 to Lionel Messi's Argentina, keeping the defending World Cup champions' dreams alive. As the final stages approached, several Egyptian players and coaching staff were shown yellow cards by the French referee. A member of Egypt's backroom staff was even shown a red card in the 94th minute.
VAR Controversy
The controversy began when it appeared Mostka Ziko had handed Egypt a 2-0 advantage, catching the Argentinian defence off guard after an impressive run involving Mohamed Salah. However, referee Letexier was alerted by VAR to examine a potential foul on the opposite side of the pitch. Upon review, it was ruled that Lisandro Martinez had been illegally brought down by an Egyptian player, chalking off a goal that came more than 20 seconds after Ziko's effort. Despite Ziko finding the net cleanly six minutes later, supporters took to social media convinced that officials were conspiring to keep Messi's side on track.
Reactions and Accusations
"This tournament is rigged. Corruption at display, robbing Egypt of the goal," one supporter wrote, while another declared, "Rigged like always." Ahmad Yousef, an Egyptian football expert, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Huge amounts of disappointment across Egypt. There is so much inconsistency at the moment with VAR and decisions and how far you go back to pull a decision. The referee made the wrong decision disallowing Egypt's second goal. There was such a long distance that had gone by and the foul was so minimal so I completely understand why the Egyptian coaching staff and squad are so disappointed. If that was Lionel Messi or someone else in an Argentina shirt, the question is would there have been the same consistency, that is what has really aggrieved people."
Anti-Racism Gesture Ignored
The meaning behind the 'X' symbol is tied to FIFA's universally recognised gesture for reporting racist abuse. When a player, coach, or team official crosses their arms to create an X, it serves as a signal to the referee that some form of racist abuse has taken place. Once the referee acknowledges the gesture, a three-step process is set in motion, beginning with bringing the match to a swift halt. 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 these steps, Hassan was shown a yellow card and the match pressed on.
Aftermath
Following Ziko's strike, Messi netted shortly afterwards, before Enzo Fernandez capped off the turnaround with a last-gasp header to seal a 3-2 victory for Argentina. The incident has sparked debate about VAR consistency and the handling of anti-racism protocols in football.
