FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee has suspended Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan for three matches and forward Mostafa Zico for five. Both men had criticised the referee after Egypt’s World Cup knockout defeat to Argentina. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced the sanctions in a statement on Monday.
The EFA said Hossam’s twin brother, Ibrahim Hassan, who manages the national team, also received a three-match suspension. The Argentina match was played in Atlanta, United States, on July 6, when Argentina overturned a 2-0 deficit to win in the round of 16.
Federation seeks reasons and considers appeal
The EFA said it had asked the committee for “the detailed reasons and justifications for the decisions”. The federation is preparing an appeal, but first it is assessing the legal aspects of the punishment.
Zico will not be available until June, according to the statement. The EFA’s request and its legal review are the next steps in the process.
Impact on Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers
The suspensions could keep Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan out of Egypt’s upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Malawi in November. They could also rule them out of the first match of the March international window.
Hassan’s comments came after several calls went against Egypt during the match. A goal was disallowed early in the second half, and a member of the coaching staff was shown a red card immediately after Argentina’s winning goal.
Disputed calls in the Argentina match
Hassan said his side had been “cheated” out of a place in the quarter-finals after Argentina’s late comeback. Speaking at a heated post-match news conference, he rejected any suggestion of bad luck. “We have been cheated unfairly today; we have suffered injustice,” he said.
Earlier, Zico had put Egypt ahead by 1-0 with a goal that was ruled out after the video assistant referee (VAR) spotted a foul on Lisandro Martinez earlier in the move. Zico then doubled Egypt’s lead, but Cristian Romero reduced the deficit for Argentina. Lionel Messi, whose first-half penalty had been saved, later levelled the score with his eighth goal of the tournament.
Egypt also believe they should have been awarded a penalty for a pull by Alexis Mac Allister on Hamdy Fathy before Enzo Fernandez scored Argentina’s winner. Hassan said: “We haven’t seen respect or fair play. There has not been respect or fair play.”
FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina defended the officiating in the match. He said such allegations could provoke threats against referees and their families.
