Harsh sanctions against Egypt for criticizing the referee in the World Cup

FIFA has suspended the national team coach Egypt, Hossam Hassan, and to the forward Mostafa Zico with three and five games, respectively, as reported on Monday by the Egyptian Football Federation (EFA). The sanction comes after both criticized the referee after the Pharaohs’ 3-2 defeat against Argentina in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.

Hassan, 60, was sanctioned after attributing his team’s elimination to errors by the French referee François Letexier, while Zico insulted the referee in an interview after the match.

Ibrahim Hassan, Hossam’s twin brother and manager of the Egyptian national team, has also been suspended for three matches.

Egypt considers appealing

The EFA said it has asked the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for detailed reasons for the decision in order to evaluate its legal options and determine whether to appeal.

During the game, Zico had a goal disallowed due to a foul committed in the previous play. Later, at 2-2, the Egyptian players demanded a penalty.

However, FIFA’s head of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, He defended the referee’s performance in the match, warning that this type of accusation could lead to threats against the referees and their families.

Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan will miss Egypt’s next two matches in November against Malawi, corresponding to the qualifying phase for the Africa Cup, as well as the first match of the March international window against Angola. For his part, Zico will not be able to play until June.