Hossam Hassan Boycotts World Cup After Egypt's 3-2 Loss, Alleging Bias for Messi
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 7
Hossam Hassan Boycotts World Cup After Egypt's 3-2 Loss, Alleging Bias for Messi
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 7
Summary
Hossam Hassan said he will not watch another minute of the World Cup after Egypt's 3-2 defeat to Argentina, calling the result an injustice and accusing FIFA of wanting Lionel Messi kept in the tournament.
Egypt led 2-0 through Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko, but had an earlier Ziko goal ruled out for a foul in the buildup and were furious no foul was given before Enzo Fernandez scored the winner.
Messi, 39, recovered from a saved first-half penalty to equalize, taking his tournament tally to eight goals and his World Cup total to 21 as Argentina came back from two down.
Ziko also said officiating turned after Egypt went 2-0 up, while Hassan said his side had already objected to French referee Francois Letexier's appointment before kickoff.
Lionel Scaloni broke down in tears after the match and praised Messi's response to the missed penalty, underscoring how the comeback deepened Egypt's sense that a likely quarterfinal place had been taken away.