‘It wasn’t racism’: Egypt boss finally breaks silence on viral ‘X’ gesture, claims Messi was left in tears

Egypt boss Hossam Hassan explains his viral ‘X’ gesture, denies accusations of racism and makes surprising claim about Lionel Messi’s emotional reaction / Image: AP Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan has spoken out after his controversial “X” gesture during his side’s dramatic 3-2 World Cup 2016 defeat to Argentina sparked widespread debate. The moment aimed at referee François Letexier in stoppage time quickly attracted attention as it resembled UEFA’s official anti-racism reporting protocol used by players and staff to flag discriminatory abuse. With tensions running high after a messy finish and a series of questionable decisions, the gesture became one of the most talked about incidents of the match, raising questions about its meaning and intent.

Hassan says the gesture was directed at the referee, not an accusation of racism

The flashpoint came in the closing stages of Egypt’s round of 16 defeat after Argentina completed a remarkable comeback from two goals down.TV cameras caught Hassan crossing his forearms in an ‘X’ shape as he directed his frustration at referee François Letexier. His twin brother and assistant coach Ibrahim Hassan immediately dropped his hands before the Egypt manager was shown a yellow card.As the gesture has been used in professional football to report alleged racist abuse, including during Benfica’s Champions League meeting with Real Madrid earlier this year, it quickly led to speculation about its intended meaning.After the tournament, however, Hassan flatly rejected this interpretation.“The gesture was not racist,” Hassan said quoted by The Sun.“I said (to the referee), ‘you’re not fair.’

Hassan revealed the swap with Lionel Messi

Hassan also made light of his confrontation with Lionel Messi during the closing moments of the match.According to the Egyptian coach, Messi questioned him immediately after the incident as tensions escalated on the touchline.“(Messi) came to me and said: ‘Why?’ why? Why?’ And I don’t know what else,” Hassan said.“It was one of the few times Messi had an argument during the match. And he ended up crying because he was having a hard time emotionally.“We were a very tough team and we put them in a difficult position. I tried not to react to him and avoid any verbal friction between us, out of respect for his career.”In an emotionally charged match, Argentina overcame a 2-0 deficit with goals from Cristiano Romero, Messi and Enzo Fernández in a frantic 13 minutes to book their place in the quarter-finals.

Egypt maintained officiating cost them a match

Despite clarifying the meaning of his gesture, Hassan did not tone down his criticism of the celebration.Egypt believed they were denied several crucial decisions during the match, including disallowing Mostafa Zico’s goal and what they say was an unpunished foul on Mohamed Salah in the set-up for Enzo Fernández’s dramatic winner.Immediately after the defeat, Hassan suggested that outside pressure had influenced the officials.“We didn’t see respect or fair play,” he said.“It seems that there was pressure from the Argentinian side on the referee that caused this result.“Life is unfair. The world is unfair. OK, but why isn’t there fairness in sports?“I’m not convinced about this result and how things went in this match.“The referee is unfair, God is sufficient for me and the best solver of things.“It’s wasting the efforts of the whole nation. The cup is going to Argentina.”The Egyptian Football Association later issued its own strongly worded statement, calling on FIFA to investigate what it called “blatant errors” by the refereeing team and demanding the removal of referee Letexier and his crew from the rest of the tournament.

FIFA responded as disciplinary uncertainty remains

The allegations prompted a response from FIFA through chief referee Pierluigi Collina, who defended the integrity of the officials and rejected suggestions that Argentina had received favorable treatment.Although Hassan has yet to face disciplinary action for his sideline behavior or post-match remarks, the matter is not completely closed.According to athletic, FIFA intends to review potential disciplinary cases after the World Cup, following the same approach it took after the 2022 tournament.Hassan and Egyptian striker Mostafa Ziko are among those who could still face sanctions for comments deemed to have brought the game into disrepute, while other figures, including Switzerland defender Manuel Akanji and England manager Thomas Tuchel, have also publicly criticized refereeing standards during the tournament.However, Hassan’s latest explanation removes one aspect of the dispute. While Egypt continue to question the decision that accompanied their heartbreaking elimination, the veteran coach insists the gesture that sparked global debate was never intended as an accusation of racism, but rather a protest against what he saw as an unfair performance by the referee.