Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan's decision to make FIFA's anti-racism gesture during his side's dramatic World Cup defeat to Argentina has become one of the most talked-about moments from the Round of 16 clash.
Hassan crossed his forearms in an "X" shape while protesting refereeing decisions following Argentina's late winner in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over Egypt . Moments earlier, the Egyptian coach had received a yellow card after confronting French referee François Letexier.
The gesture came as Egypt's bench reacted angrily to several key decisions, including the VAR review that ruled out an Egyptian goal and other incidents Hassan later said had denied his side a fair result.
Following the match, Hassan accused officials of favouring the defending champions.
"We suffered an unjust defeat. There is support for the world champions from every direction [...]. They want the previous world champions to stay in the tournament. They want Messi to remain," he said.
He also questioned why several incidents involving Egypt were not reviewed by VAR, saying his players had not received "respect or fair play". What does the crossed-arm gesture mean? The crossed-arms "X" signal was introduced by FIFA in May 2024 as part of its Global Stand Against Racism initiative, which was unanimously approved by all 211 member associations during the governing body's 74th Congress in Bangkok.
The signal provides players, coaches and match officials with a universal way to report alleged racist abuse during a match.
Once the gesture is made, referees may activate FIFA's three-step anti-racism protocol, beginning with a temporary stoppage, followed by suspension of the match if the abuse continues and, ultimately, abandonment of the fixture if the incidents persist.
The initiative also strengthened FIFA's disciplinary code by recognising racism as a specific disciplinary offence carrying tougher sporting sanctions, including the possibility of awarding a match against an offending team. FIFA first implemented the gesture during the 2024 FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup in Colombia before extending it to competitions worldwide.
The organisation has also called on governments to criminalise racist abuse and established an advisory panel, including former Liberia president and Ballon d'Or winner George Weah, to help oversee the campaign.
Neither Hassan nor the Egyptian Football Association has publicly explained why the gesture was used during the Argentina match, and FIFA has not commented on the incident.
However, Hassan's signal drew widespread attention because it came amid Egypt's protests over a series of contentious refereeing decisions in a match that saw the Pharaohs surrender a two-goal lead before being eliminated by the reigning world champions.