Egypt coach Hossam Hassan didn’t mince words after the controversial Egypt Vs Argentina clash and said that FIFA wanted Lionel Messi to stay in the competition and the match was influenced by external factors. Egypt saw a few controversial decisions go against them as Argentina came back from behind to pull off a remarkable win, triggering outrage from the Egypt camp and a section of fans, who alleged that the World Cup was rigged to favor the defending champions.
He was also booked and shown a yellow card after making FIFA’s anti-racism gesture during a protest following the controversial match. Earlier, Hassan found himself in controversy. Following the win over Australia in the Round of 32 match, he celebrated while carrying and waving the Palestine flag on the pitch.
Hossam Hassan’s Long List Of Controversies
The latest outburst adds to a long list of controversies involving Hossam Hassan over the years. In January this year, Hassan made similar allegations after Egypt were knocked out of the African Cup of Nations following a 1–0 defeat to Senegal. He lashed out at AFCON organizers and alleged they created a disadvantage for Egypt with the scheduling. He was also seen raising seven fingers, showing the number of AFCON titles Egypt won.
The Egypt team was forced to travel 490 miles from Agadir to Tangier for the semi-finals after beating Ivory Coast, while Senegal got an extra day of rest, triggering a strong reaction from Hassan.
“Egypt does not need excuses and apologies,” Hassan said, as per SportyFM. “Egypt is great, and no one will dare to win seven titles like us.
“We just needed fairness like [Senegal]. We played the day after the Senegal match, who are playing in the semi on the same field, and I’m surprised by that.
“By what FIFA law is what happened to the Egypt team done? When a team reaches the semis, do you honor it or torture it?”
When Hossam Hassan Faced Trial For Assaulting A Photographer
But that’s not all. Hassan was even jailed briefly in 2016 for assaulting the government footballer. The incident took place after Al Masry’s 2-2 draw against Ghazl El Mahalla during the Egyptian Premier League. After a scuffle broke out between the players, Hossam Hassan, who was Al Masry’s head coach at the time, allegedly chased and assaulted an Interior Ministry photographer who was covering the post-match clashes. The photographer filed a complaint, leading to Hassan facing trial on charges of assaulting a public official and damaging government property. The local federation sanctioned him with a three-match suspension and a financial penalty.
Egypt Coach, Hossam Hassan had a history of unlawful activities & he was seen beating a photographer 😳In 2025, he claimed, AFCON was rigged, and in 2026, he said, FIFA is rigged and in both instances, Egypt lost 😳pic.twitter.com/qMonLa1x7q
— Ajay Jadeja (@AjayJadeja171) July 9, 2026
More so, during his time as a player at Zamalek SC, a friendly match against Al-Ansar in Beirut led to a mass brawl in which Hassan assaulted members of the rival coaching staff and referees, a situation that even required the intervention of security forces to remove him from the field.
