Chaos erupted as Egypt crashed out of the World Cup, but one unexplained gesture from the head coach left fans asking why he crossed his arms into an “X” before he received a yellow card.

The unusual gesture quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of the round-of-16 clash, with many fans trying to work out why Egypt’s Hossam Hassan made the signal as frustration boiled over on the touchline.

Hassan’s side looked on course for one of the tournament’s biggest upsets after racing into a 2-0 lead against the defending champions at Atlanta Stadium.

Instead, Argentina stormed back to claim a dramatic 3-2 victory, keeping Lionel Messi and his team alive in the competition.

And, as tensions spilled over in the closing minutes, several Egyptian players and members of the coaching staff were cautioned by French referee François Letexier, while one member of the bench was shown a red card after confronting Argentina’s players in stoppage time.

‘Tool to report racist abuse’
Amid the chaos, television cameras caught Hassan repeatedly raising both arms and crossing them into a large “X” while looking toward the match officials.

The referee did not appear to acknowledge the signal and instead booked the Egypt manager.

The unusual gesture quickly drew attention because, under FIFA protocols, crossing both arms into an X has a very specific meaning.

According to Newsweek, it “is a new tool to report racist abuse during matches” that can “immediately trigger FIFA’s anti-discrimination protocol and potentially stop play.”

If the referee recognizes and acknowledges the signal, officials can stop play, suspend the match or “abandon the game entirely.”

When Hassan made the gesture, however, the protocol was never activated, and he was shown a yellow card instead.

What happened
Why Letexier booked Hassan instead of responding to the gesture remains unclear. Regardless, Egypt’s frustration had been building long before the final whistle.

During the second half, Egypt’s Mostka Ziko believed he had put his side 2-0 ahead after finishing a flowing attacking move.

Instead, VAR (video assistant referee) alerted Letexier to review an earlier challenge involving Argentina’s Lisandro Martínez. After watching the replay, he ruled that Egypt had committed a foul in the buildup, wiping the goal off the scoreboard.

Although Ziko eventually found the net again just minutes later, the overturned goal had already fueled widespread anger among supporters.

While many claimed online that the match had been “rigged” to keep superstar Lionel Messi and Argentina in the tournament, others focused on Hassan’s unanswered “X” gesture and questioned why the referee appeared to ignore FIFA’s own protocol.

‘Game is rigged’
“FIFA cheated. SHAME SHAME SHAME,” writes one user on X, while another shared: “The game is rigged for Messi aka FIFA’s little princess.”

“The ref didn’t even bother checking VAR. Man, screw FIFA. This game feels rigged!” a third vented.+

Many people don’t know this, but the crossed-arms “X” signal is FIFA’s universal gesture for reporting racist abuse.

When a player, coach, or team official makes that signal, they’re informing the referee that racist abuse has occurred. It is meant to trigger FIFA’s three-step… pic.twitter.com/QdLtHYPSgu

— Daniel Solana (@DiceElDani) July 7, 2026

Meanwhile, other online users zoned in on the unanswered X.

“I had no idea about that gesture. It’s really disappointing to hear the protocol wasn’t followed, especially when racism is such a serious issue,” one netizen tweeted.

“FIFA literally introduced the universal ‘X’ gesture so players and coaches could report racism safely. For a referee to completely ignore the protocol and hand out a yellow card to Hossam Hassan instead is an absolute disgrace,” another added.

‘Suffered injustice’
After the final whistle, Hassan questioned both the officiating and the integrity of the tournament.

“Why isn’t there any fairness in sport,” he continued. “I do not want to try to put it nicely here with beautiful wording. We have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice,” Hassan said, according to Sports Illustrated.

Hassan went on to suggest commercial interests had influenced the outcome.

“It’s all about money,” he said. “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.”

The coach finished with one final accusation.

“I will say what’s on my mind regardless of the consequence. This was clearly a rigged match and the whole world saw it,” he said. “If they want Argentina to win so badly, why call everyone to come and participate?”

Egypt files formal complaint with FIFA
The dispute soon reached FIFA. On July 8, the Egyptian Football Association confirmed it had formally requested an investigation into what it described as “serious refereeing mistakes” and “double standards” by Letexier and his officiating team, arguing the decisions ultimately cost Egypt a place in the next round.

In a statement reported by Sports Illustrated, the federation said its president, Hany Abou Rida, demanded “the exclusion of the referee and the entire crew” from the remainder of the tournament.

The federation also alleged there had been “discrimination” against Egypt following a match that continues to generate debate long after the final whistle.

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