Egypt coach Hossam Hassan booked for anti-racism gesture as VAR controversy mars Argentina win

Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan was booked for making FIFA’s universally recognised anti-racism gesture at referee François Letexier in the closing stages of Argentina’s 3-2 World Cup round of 16 victory at Atlanta Stadium, a match that descended into chaos following a contentious VAR decision.

Egypt had led 2-0 before Lionel Messi’s Argentina mounted a comeback to keep their title defence on track. The turning point came when Letexier, on VAR review, disallowed what appeared to be Egypt’s second goal — scored by Mostafa Ziko — ruling that Lisandro Martínez had been fouled on the opposite side of the pitch more than 20 seconds before Ziko’s finish. The decision drew immediate fury from Egyptian players, staff, and supporters.

As the final minutes unravelled, several Egyptian players and backroom staff were shown yellow cards. A member of Egypt’s coaching staff was even sent off in the 94th minute. Amid the mounting frustration, Hassan raised both arms to form an ‘X’ in front of the referee — the gesture FIFA designates as a signal that racist abuse has taken place. Under FIFA’s three-step protocol, the referee should halt the match upon seeing the symbol, with suspension and abandonment as escalating responses if the abuse continues.

Letexier appeared to ignore the gesture entirely before producing a yellow card for Hassan. The precise reason for the booking was not made clear by the official.

Ziko did find the net legitimately six minutes after the disallowed goal to make it 2-0, but Argentina ultimately completed the comeback to win 3-2 and advance. Egypt’s exit sparked a wave of anger on social media, with supporters alleging the match had been manipulated. “This tournament is rigged. Corruption on display, robbing Egypt of the goal,” one user wrote.

The incident raises questions about both the application of VAR at this stage of the tournament and the referee’s handling of FIFA’s own anti-racism protocol, with no explanation offered for why Hassan’s gesture was met with a booking rather than the prescribed response.