Egypt coach, star player hit with FIFA suspensions
World football governing body FIFA has officially suspended Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan for three matches and striker Mostafa Zico for five matches following their public criticism of the refereeing during the 2026 World Cup.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee which announced the suspensions in a communique issued late on Monday also handed a three-match ban to Egypt’s national team director Ibrahim Hassan- Hossam’s twin brother.
The FIFA suspensions stem from Egypt’s dramatic 3-2 Round of 16 elimination loss to Argentina in July, which saw Egypt lose grip of a two goal advantage against a Lionel Messi led squad tutored by Lionel Scaloni.
Read Also: NPFL slams Doma Utd with N5.25m fine, three-match stadium ban
The Egyptian team was also furious about a disallowed second half goal scored by Zico and a rejected late penalty appeal just before Argentina scored the winning goal.
Recall that hours after the game against Argentina, Hossam blamed his team’s loss and eventual exit from the 2026 World Cup to blatant refereeing errors while Zico insulted French referee Francois Letexier during a post-match interview.
The Hassan brothers will now miss Egypt’s next upcoming African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying fixtures against Malawi in November, while Zico is expected to remain out of international action until June 2027.
