Egypt Coach Loses Temper Over Israeli Flags After World Cup Loss to Argentina
Translated & summarized from Srugim by baba
Egypt's coach Hossam Hassan lost his temper after Israeli flags were waved near the Egyptian bench following their 3-2 World Cup loss to Argentina. He confronted fans, staff, and Argentine players, criticized refereeing decisions, and claimed unfair treatment at the 2026 World Cup round of 16.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Egypt led Argentina 2-0 before losing 3-2 in the 2026 World Cup round of 16.
- Israeli flags waved near Egypt's bench sparked verbal confrontations involving coach Hossam Hassan.
- Hassan clashed with fans, staff, a photographer, Argentine players, and coach Lionel Scaloni.
- Egypt's goalkeeping coach was sent off after pushing and shouting during the incident.
- Hassan accused referees of unfairness, denied Egypt a penalty, and disallowed a goal.
- He expressed distrust of the French referee and vowed not to watch more World Cup matches.
Egypt's national football team nearly pulled off a major upset at the 2026 World Cup, leading Argentina 2-0 in the round of 16 before the reigning champions staged a dramatic 3-2 comeback led by Lionel Messi, who scored and assisted. After the match, tensions flared around the Egyptian bench when Israeli flags were waved in the stands near the team. Videos circulating on social media showed Egypt's coach, Hossam Hassan, engaging in verbal confrontations with fans, staff, a photographer, and even Argentine players and coach Lionel Scaloni. The Egyptian goalkeeping coach was also sent off after pushing and shouting at those involved. Hassan was seen signaling the referee with an "X" gesture, used to report racist incidents, prompting referee François Letexier to issue him a yellow card following a discussion.
At the post-match press conference, Hassan harshly criticized the officiating, claiming Egypt was unfairly treated. He stated, "I am going home and will not watch any more World Cup matches," accusing the referees of denying Egypt a penalty and disallowing a goal without clear reasons. Hassan suggested there was pressure from Argentina influencing the result and expressed his initial opposition to appointing the French referee for the game. Regarding his confrontation with the referee, he remarked, "I told him it was unfair. Maybe he has a scar or something to hide. When someone tries to hide something, they often fail."
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