Spit, spat and X: Why Egypt coach Hossam Hassan is celebrated and dissed
Hossam Hassan, the head coach of Egypt’s national football team, who earlier attracted attention by waving a Palestinian flag after his side beat Australia to advance to the round of 16, found himself at the center of another controversy on Tuesday. Egypt’s dramatic exit from the World Cup. Hassan’s behavior has sharply divided opinion, from heated exchanges on the touchline to a gesture against racism and an apparent incident of rival fans spitting an Israeli flag, with some praising his defiance and others condemning his actions.
The game, which saw Argentina pull away from defeat, was punctuated by repeated confrontations between the Egyptian players, Hassan and the referees, as the Pharaohs protested a series of refereeing decisions they believed went against them.
During one exchange, Hassan raised his hands in an X gesture – FIFA’s official anti-racism signal—apparently attempting to flag alleged abuse or discriminatory behavior to referee Francois Letexier, only to be rewarded with a yellow card.
As Hassan made his way to the dressing room after the final whistle, Argentina supporters waved the Israeli flag from the stands. Videos circulating online show the Egyptian coach visibly upset, exchanging words with fans and appearing to spit in their direction before being led away.
Hassan’s actions – both after Egypt’s victory over Australia and after their heartbreaking defeat to Argentina – made him a deeply polarizing figure. Supporters hailed him for his outspoken support of the Palestinian cause and his passionate defense of his team, while critics dismissed him as a sore loser, accusing him of refusing to accept defeat by suggesting the match was influenced by biased officiating or somehow “rigged”.
In the post-match press conference, Hassan spoke about the situation in Gaza and criticized the players who, according to reports, did not stand up for the Palestinian cause.
FROM EGYPT’S 2-0 LEAD AGAINST ARGENTINA TO WORLD CUP HEARTBREAK
Egypt’s progress to the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup marked one of the nation’s strongest performances in the history of the tournament, equaling the previous best of reaching the round of 16 in 1934.
Egypt drew with Belgium (1-1) and Iran (1-1) in Group G and secured a convincing 3-1 victory over New Zealand. They advanced second on goal difference behind Belgium and went on to beat Australia in the round of 32 via penalties (after a 1:1 draw).
On Tuesday, the Pharaohs looked set to stage one of the biggest upsets of the tournament after taking a two-goal lead against Argentina in the first half, which also saw Lionel Messi miss a penalty.
Argentina however he made a dramatic comeback in the closing stages. Cristian Romero headed in the 79th minute, Messi equalized in the 83rd minute and Enzo Fernndez headed in the winner in the second minute of stoppage time to give the Gauchos a 3-2 win. This late turnaround ended Egypt’s impressive campaign and saw Argentina progress to the quarter-finals.
GESTURE X HOSSAM HASSANA AND A CONFRONTATION WITH AN ISRAELI FLAG WAVING FAN
As Argentina came from 2-0 down, there was frustration in the Egyptian camp. Tensions flared for the first time after Mostafa Zico’s goal was ruled out by VAR for a foul by Marwan Atti on Lisandro Martinez in stoppage time. Egypt also protested what they felt was a foul before Lionel Messi’s equaliser, unsuccessfully appealing for a late penalty.
In the break, the Egyptian team scored a goal by Enzo Fernndez, which put the Argentines ahead of the Pharaohs. There was a mess and a head coach Hossam Hassan crossed his forearms and made an X gesture—FIFA’s official anti-racism signal. It is set to trigger FIFA’s three-stage anti-racism protocol, which can result in entire matches being abandoned.
Neither Hassan nor FIFA elaborated on what prompted the gesture. Assistant coach Ibrahim Hassan was quick to intervene before referee Francois Letexier booked Hossam, his twin.
The drama continued after the final whistle. An Argentina supporter was seen waving an Israeli flag from the stands as Hossam Hassan headed towards the tunnel. Videos circulating online show him exchanging words with fans and appearing to spit in their direction before being led away.
HOSSAM HASSAN CLAIMS HE IS BEING TREATED UNFORTUNATELY
After the game, head coach Hassan continued his criticism and hinted Egypt was denied a fair contest.
“I’m not convinced about this result. I’m not convinced about the way things went during this match,” Hassan said in the post-match press conference, adding that “today we were treated unfairly. We experienced injustice.”
The Egyptian coach claimed his team matched – and even outplayed – the reigning world champions for large stretches of the match.
“Compared to the reigning champions, we looked better. We were better in everything, but the result, the result, was affected by internal factors on the pitch, inside the game and external factors before the game,” he said.
EGYPTIAN HEAD COACH’S ACTIONS DIVIDE OPINION
Hassan’s actions during Egypt’s matches against Australia and Argentina sharply divided opinion. Supporters praised his passionate defense of his team and outspoken support for the Palestinian cause, while critics accused him of politicizing football and refusing to accept defeat.
After Egypt’s victory over Australia on 3 July, Hassan unfurled a large Palestinian flag on the pitch and dedicated the victory to the Palestinian people. The United Arab Emirates-based newspaper The National said Gazans later displayed a giant banner with his likeness amid bomb-damaged buildings as a tribute.
However, things ended differently for the Egyptian team and Hassan on July 7 against Argentina.
“So glad Argentina came back and beat Egypt today after their head coach POS gave up the Palestinian flag around the pitch after their win over Australia a few days ago! Karma is a beautiful thing to see,” wrote MAGA influencer Vince Langman on X.
After the defeat to Argentina, Hassan invoked Gaza again in the post-match press conference. “Children wearing the jerseys of Argentina, Barcelona, Messi and Real Madrid grow up loving football and its stars, yet they are being killed while the world is silent,” Hassan said, according to Palestinian news agency Quds News Network.
Not everyone was impressed. Egyptian author Dalia Ziada argued at X that Egypt’s sporting achievements were co-opted for wider Arab political narratives rather than celebrated as Egyptian achievements.
“Time and time again, major national achievements and public events (presidential conferences, sports, art, film festivals, whatever) are reframed to fit causes outside of Egypt itself, in a desperate attempt to reclaim Egypt’s historic regional role as the big sister of the Arabs,” Ziada noted on X.
Others criticized what they saw as contradictions in Egypt’s and Hassan’s stances. Israeli AI researcher and entrepreneur Eli David wrote on X that Egypt “built a seven-layer wall on the border with Gaza to make sure that not a single Palestinian refugee crosses into Egypt.”
Hassan’s behavior after the Argentina defeat also drew mixed reactions. Palestinian journalist Basem Alhabel described Hassan’s apparent spitting towards fans waving Israeli flags as “the biggest spit in history”. In contrast, televangelist Rachid Hammami, better known as Brother Rachid, mocked the Egyptian coach on X, declaring: “He never takes responsibility for his own mistakes and always looks for someone else to blame.”
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Issued by:
Shounak Sanyal
Published on:
08 Jul 2026 18:10 IST