Sport4 min(s) read
Published 10:47 08 Jul 2026 GMT
Egypt manager Hossam Hassan has been at the center of controversy following his side's World Cup round-of-16 loss to Argentina on Tuesday (July 7).
The Arab side took a shock 2-0 lead in the 67th minute of the game, which arguably could have been a three-goal lead if not for a controversial VAR intervention.
But a fightback from Argentina in the final quarter of the game at Atlanta Stadium ultimately extinguished any hopes of a shock result, as Messi bagged a goal and an assist in a dramatic 3-2 victory.
Players were outraged as the game reached its dying embers, with tempers also flaring among staff. Several Egyptian players and members of the coaching staff were shown yellow cards by referee Francois Letexier.
Goalkeeping coach Saafan El-Sagheer was shown a red card for his actions, while Hassan had to be pulled away mid-confrontation.
The result means that the reigning champions are still in with a chance of retaining their title, but Hassan's words and actions have seemingly stolen headlines.
Many claimed that the match was rigged in Argentina's favor after a VAR review ruled out an Egypt goal in the 60th minute for a foul which occurred 20 seconds before the ball hit the back of the net.
But just seven minutes later, the Arab side scored again to officially make it 2-0.
Chaos ensued late on in the game as Argentina took the lead through an Enzo Fernandez stoppage-time header, and while his staff was acting out, Hassan could be seen raising both arms to form an "X" symbol.
He made the gesture in front of the referee, who looked uninterested. But what did it mean?
The meaning of the symbol is linked to FIFA's universally recognised gesture for reporting racial abuse - essentially, when a player, coach, or team official makes this "X" symbol, it signals to the referee that a form of racism has taken place.
If protocol is followed correctly, the referee will acknowledge the gesture, with a three-step process put in motion as the match comes to a halt.
If the abuse persists, the game will be suspended, and if it continues, the match could even be abandoned.
But instead, Letexier showed the Egyptian manager a yellow card and the match continued as normal.
The reason behind the booking is still unclear, but it's fair to say that his frustration was building as the game progressed.
After the heartbreaking result, the Egypt manager questioned if the tournament was fair, telling the media: "We were better, but football is unfair.
“It could be a matter of marketing; they could want to make a World Cup with the champion of the last World Cup; they want Messi to exist (in the tournament).
“I thank my players very much. To all the Egyptians, the Arabs, the Africans, you can work hard, it’s what you have to do, but sometimes there are other factors that make you struggle,” he claimed.
Hassan then added: “Why isn’t there any fairness in sport? In football? I do not want to try to put it nicely here with beautiful wording. We have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice.”
“It’s all about money. They want Messi to stay in the tournament. In football, many things happen off the pitch because of interests. What happened was unfair. Egypt deserved to qualify. We were the better team against Argentina,” the Egypt all-time top scorer claimed.
The manager went on: "I will say what’s on my mind regardless of the consequence, this was clearly a rigged match and the whole world saw it.
“And I want to say one more thing, if they want Argentina to win so bad, why call everyone to come and participate?”
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sport3 min(s) read
Published 14:28 19 Dec 2022 GMT
Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has spoken out to explain himself following his "controversial" gesture during his celebration after Argentina won the FIFA World Cup tournament.
During the post-match ceremony against their rivals, France, we saw the Aston Villa player receive the coveted Golden Glove award for his efforts.
However, within seconds of holding the award, he placed it over his groin area, making it seem like the accolade was a huge, golden... - well, we don't need to spell it out for you - in front of thousands of spectators at Doha's Lusail Stadium, as well as millions of viewers watching at home.
Though the gesture was slammed as "crude", it seems as though Qatari officials took it pretty well, with just the odd side-eye here and there.
After the moment went viral online, fans were left divided over the move.
"Emi Martinez air sh****** the golden glove award just to fully complete his arc as the tournament's biggest villain," tweeted one user.
"I know that it's considered passe and anti-fun to think it sucks when players act like dip****, but this is legitimately embarrassing to do after being handed the golden glove lol. Emi Martinez is an incredible goalkeeper and just such an a******," added another.
A third insinuated that people were taking the whole gesture a little too seriously: "The prudes on RTE comms clutching the rosary beads because Emiliano Martínez did a joke with the golden glove trophy."
Following the controversy, the 30-year-old has now explained the reasons behind his unique celebration.
Speaking to the Argentine radio station, La Red, he said: "I did it because the French booed me. Arrogance does not work with me."
The news comes after Argentina defeated France during this year's World Cup final.
In a nail-biting match that saw La Scaloneta secure their third World Cup win, we were treated to some amazing soccer from both sides.
While everything seemed to be going in Argentina's favor with a 2-0 lead initially, Kylian Mbappe, hailed as the star player of France's national team, pulled his squad out of their rut with two consecutive goals in the 80th and 81st minute, sending both teams into extra time.
After an anxiety-inducing 30 minutes leaving the clubs tied with 3-3, followed by an overwhelming 4-2 defeat on penalties, the French were forced to hand over the victory to Argentina thanks to some great work by Martinez.
Not only did he manage to save Kingsley Coman's shot, but he also dabbled in a few mind games with Aurélien Tchouaméni which proved to unsettle the French player, ultimately making him fire his shot a little too wide.
The goalkeeper received his Golden Glove award alongside Lionel Messi, who won the best player, Enzo Fernandez who won the best young player, and Kylian Mbappe who won the Golden Boot.
sport3 min(s) read
Published 10:46 19 Dec 2022 GMT
Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez left audiences shocked after his celebration on stage after the FIFA World Cup 2022 final consisted of a pretty risqué gesture...
Now, when I tell you Sunday night's World Cup final was wild, I'm not kidding.
Argentina and France gave us a match that people will be talking about for years to come.
While everything seemed to be going in Argentina's favor for a massive chunk of the game, Kylian Mbappe, hailed as the star player of France's national team, pulled his squad out of their rut with two consecutive goals in the 80th and 81st minute, sending both teams into extra time.
However, after a nail-biting 30 minutes, followed by an overwhelming defeat on penalties, the French were forced to hand over the victory to Argentina who now have an impressive three World Cup wins under their belt.
Of course, then came the celebrations.
You would think that seeing the players shedding tears of joy with their teammates following such a competitive tournament would be the overall highlight, right? Well, there was a moment that topped that and it seems as though it's become a hot talking point online.
During the post-match ceremony, we saw Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez receive the coveted Golden Glove award for his efforts - and well-deserved, may I add.
However, within seconds of holding the award, he placed it over his groin area, making it seem like the accolade was a huge, golden schlong in front of thousands of spectators at Doha's Lusail Stadium, as well as millions of viewers watching at home.
Though the gesture was extremely crude, it seems as though Qatari officials took it pretty well, with just the odd side-eye here and there.
Besides that, Martinez was praised as a hero for his country, especially during the penalties.
Not only did he manage to save Kingsley Coman's shot, he also dabbled in a few mind games with Aurélien Tchouaméni which proved to unsettle the French player, ultimately making him fire his shot a little too wide.
The Ashton Villa goalkeeper received his Golden Glove award alongside Lionel Messi, who won the best player, Enzo Fernandez who won the best young player and Kylian Mbappe who won the Golden Boot.
sport3 min(s) read
Published 14:18 15 Jun 2026 GMT
FIFA is facing calls to remove a video assistant referee from the 2026 World Cup after an anti-racism monitoring group claimed a hand gesture made during a live broadcast resembled a symbol linked to white supremacist movements.
The controversy centers on Australian official Shaun Evans, who was shown on television before Germany's opening match against Curaçao on Sunday. During the introduction of the VAR team, Evans appeared to make an "OK" sign with his right hand while standing alongside fellow officials.
The incident has drawn criticism from the Fare network, a long-time partner of FIFA and UEFA that monitors racist and discriminatory behavior at international football matches. The organization said the gesture appeared similar to a symbol that has been adopted by far-right groups in some contexts.
“Advice from our experts is that the gesture used clearly resembles an upside down ‘OK’ hand symbol used as a ‘white power’ symbol in global far-right circles,” the Fare network said in a statement.
“Clearly this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup,” it added, also describing the gesture as “neo-Nazi.”
The gesture in question involves touching the thumb and forefinger together to form a circle while extending the remaining fingers. In 2019, the New York-based Anti-Defamation League designated the symbol as a hate symbol, noting that it had been used by white supremacists and other far-right groups.
It remains unclear whether Evans was making a political statement or taking part in what is commonly known as the "circle game", a prank in which a person flashes an upside-down OK sign below their waist and attempts to trick others into looking at it.
The gesture gained attention online after being appropriated by far-right groups, following a campaign that reportedly began as a hoax on the message board 4chan before spreading more widely.
When the Anti-Defamation League added the symbol to its hate symbol database in 2019, Oren Segal, director of the ADL’s Centre on Extremism, stressed the importance of examining the circumstances surrounding its use.
At the time, he said: “There is enough of a volume of use for hateful purposes that we felt it was important to add.”
Evans is one of 30 VAR officials selected by FIFA to work at the World Cup across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The VAR team operates from the tournament's broadcast centre in Dallas, despite Germany's match against Curaçao taking place in Houston.
Fare also questioned why the gesture was made during a televised introduction.
“Why is a VAR supervisor using this symbol at a global football event at the very moment he knows the cameras are on him?” Fare said. “We note that in the two subsequent games it appears TV directors have stopped introducing the VAR panel to the TV audience.”
No decision had been announced by FIFA regarding Evans' role in the tournament at the time of publication.
sport3 min(s) read
Published 13:02 19 Dec 2022 GMT
Lionel Messi was placed in a black robe to lift the World Cup trophy, which left fans confused, but its meaning has now been revealed.
Argentina and France went head to head in the final of the World Cup in Qatar, giving viewers a goal-fest in what was an exhilarating game of soccer.
Argentina came out of the encounter on top, with Lionel Messi, 35, getting to lift the iconic trophy in what is likely to be his final World Cup.
As the captain of the team, Messi got to be the first one to lift the trophy as flares and fireworks boomed out around the stadium - but it was a robe that has everyone talking.
Just before being handed the trophy, Messi was put in a black robe with golden trim, and the meaning behind it makes the moment incredibly powerful.
As per the Independent, the robe is called a bisht and it is used to honor people such as royalty, grooms on their wedding day, and graduates at their ceremony.
Dr. Baig, a lecturer of Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter told the outlet: "It’s like a mark of honor, and just kind of a cultural welcoming and a cultural acceptance.
"This is a top occasion. I mean, there’s probably no bigger occasion, so they put it on him as a mark of honor."
Arab News states that: "It [the bisht] is often regarded as [a] sign of prestige or high status and this is why the art of bisht tailoring is a skill handed down from generation to generation."
The move to drape Messi in the robes was met with a mixed response - with BBC presenters Gary Lineker and Pablo Zabaleta saying during the presentation that it was a shame to cover Messi's shirt, and there was no reason for it, as reported by The Mirror.
As for the match itself - Argentina's talisman Messi opened the scoring in the 10th minute after converting a penalty. Juventus winger Di Maria then finished off a devastating counterattack to put Argentina in the driving seat.
France sprang into life in the 80th minute, where 23-year-old Kylian Mbappe scored twice in two minutes to take the game to extra time.
Messi scrambled the ball into the French goal in the 109th minute, but Mbappe was on hand to silence the Argentinian party once again after scoring a penalty in the 118th minute, taking the game to a penalty shootout.
Argentina came out on top after goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez proved to be the hero after saving a penalty and seeing another one go wide.
To some fans, Messi has cemented himself as the best player of all time - and the bisht being placed on him could be seen as him being coronated as the King of soccer.
celebrity3 min(s) read
Published 17:07 19 Dec 2022 GMT
After a night of sheer bliss for Argentina and their fans across the globe, it seems some netizens couldn't help but complain about something. This time, Salt Bae was the target.
For those who missed it, Argentina beat France in a tense 120-minute game that ended in a score of 3 - 3, before the two teams battled it out in penalty shootouts that saw La Albiceleste (as they are affectionately known) take home the coveted World Cup trophy in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar after a 4-2 victory.
The award itself is made from 18-carat gold and is worth a staggering $20 million, according to FIFA. Naturally, only a select group of people are permitted to touch the trophy - including winners of the World Cup and heads of state, per FIFA's website.
So, it comes as no surprise that Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe - better known as Salt Bae - received mixed reactions when he took to Instagram to post several short clips and images of himself holding the golden trophy and biting players' gold medals to his 49.8 million followers.
One of the clips - which saw the chef standing next to Argentinian player Di Maria and saying his catchphrase "Wow" - received close to 15,000 comments from users, and many of them were not happy. "He can't touch on the cup. Only world champions can do that. No respect," one person wrote.
"You can tell Di Maria wants nothing to do with this picture, embarrassing that he's used this moment to use his c**p catchphrase," another person added.
Another user chimed in with: "The disrespect, this guy is just full of himself."
'This guy will never deserve to touch the world cup..just touch salt you shameless [sic]," another comment read.
"This salt guy is becoming unbelievably annoying and obnoxious," a further user added.
Other Instagram users drew attention to a separate viral video that showed the chef desperately trying to get Messi's attention, with one person writing underneath a photo of the pair: "Bruh keep the distance, he was celebrating w his peeps not some random from tiktok [sic]."
Was Salt Bae wrong to touch the World Cup? Let us know in the comments below.
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