FIFA bans Egypt coach Hossam Hassan and forward Zico over referee criticism
- FIFA suspended Egypt coach Hossam Hassan for three matches and forward Mostafa Zico for five after they criticised refereeing in the World Cup loss to Argentina.
- Ibrahim Hassan, the team's manager and Hossam's twin brother, also got a three-match ban, the Egyptian Football Association said.
- The EFA says it is studying the detailed reasons for the sanctions and may appeal, with Egypt's November AFCON qualifiers against Malawi now in doubt.
FIFA has suspended Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan for three matches and forward Mostafa Zico for five games after their outbursts against the referee following Egypt's 3-2 World Cup round-of-16 defeat by Argentina, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said.
Ibrahim Hassan, the national team's manager and Hossam's twin brother, was also handed a three-match ban. The EFA said it has asked FIFA's Disciplinary Committee for the detailed reasons behind the decisions and is weighing whether to appeal.
The sanctions were announced on Monday, months after the July 6 match in Atlanta, United States, where Argentina came from 2-0 down to win.
What happened in the match
Egypt were leading 1-0 when a Zico goal was ruled out, with VAR spotting a foul on Lisandro Martinez earlier in the move. Zico then scored again to put Egypt 2-0 up and on the brink of their first quarterfinal.
Argentina hit back through Cristian Romero, and Lionel Messi, who had a first-half penalty saved, equalised. Enzo Fernandez scored the winner.
Egypt's players were furious that no penalty was given for a pull by Alexis Mac Allister on Hamdy Fathy in the build-up to that goal, and a member of their coaching staff was sent off after it.
Hossam said after the game that his side had been "cheated unfairly" and complained that the penalty appeal was not checked by VAR. Zico was punished for insulting the referee in a post-match interview.
FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina defended the officiating, warning that allegations against referees can expose them and their families to threats.
What happens next
The bans could keep Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan out of Egypt's Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Malawi in November, and possibly the first game of the March international window. Zico could be unavailable until June.
For Nigerian fans, the case is a reminder of how far football's governing body will go to protect match officials, and it could shape how coaches and players speak about refereeing in African qualifiers and at next year's AFCON.
