Egypt manager speaks out after using 'X' gesture in Argentina defeat

Egypt manager Hossam Hassan has spoken out after he made an 'X' gesture - commonly used to report instances of alleged racist abuse - during his side's 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the World Cup last 16.

Egypt went 2-0 up against Argentina but conceded three goals in the last 11 minutes in Atlanta.

Spurs captain Cristian Romero halved the deficit, before Lionel Messi's stunning half-volley from 12 yards set up a grandstand finish.

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez then placed a header into the bottom corner from 12 yards on 92 minutes to complete the comeback.

Egypt players were not happy at the manner of Messi's goal, claiming that there was a foul in the build-up.

The African nation earlier had a goal ruled out for a foul long before Mostafa Ziko had put the ball in the back of the net for what would have been a 2-0 advantage. The Egypt winger did score minutes later, but there was much consternation among Egypt players and coaches.

During stoppage time, manager Hassan was shown a yellow card by Francois Letexier, and showed an 'X' gesture towards the match official as he approached him.

Letexier then engaged in a lengthy conversation with Hassan and his twin brother and coach, Ibrahim, who had intervened in an attempt to place Hassan's hands back down by his side.

READ MORE: World Cup referee in heated exchange after Egypt manager's 'X' gesture vs Argentina

Ibrahim made a thumbs-up gesture towards the referee, before Letexier then continued play until the end of the match.

The 'X' gesture is the common signal used to report instances of racial abuse.

It was not clear, though, given the reaction of the rest of the Egypt bench, as to whether that was the exact reason behind the signal, or whether there was another cause.

Hassan speaks out over Egypt 'injustice'

In his post-match press conference, Hassan did not directly address the gesture but did launch into significant criticisms of both FIFA and the match referee, Francois Letexier.

He said (as per The Athletic): "We haven't seen respect or fair play. A penalty was a ruled out, and a second that should have been checked for a penalty for us was not even checked by the VAR.

"A second goal was remarkably, for whatever reason, disallowed. There seems to have been pressure, on the Argentinian side, on the referee that has brought about this outcome.

"Life is unfair. The world is unfair, okay. But why isn't there any fairness in sports? I'm not convinced by this outcome and by the way things unfolded in this match."

Hassan also stated that Egypt had objected to the appointment of Letexier, who is French, as the match referee.

He went on to claim: "We looked better than the reigning champions - better in everything - but the result was influenced by internal factors on the pitch and external factors off it.

"Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running."

Lionel Messi is likely playing in his final World Cup (Image: Getty)

Argentina, who are reigning champions, take on the winners of the final last 16 clash between Switzerland and Colombia in the quarter-finals.

There has been speculation that, whatever the outcome in the tournament, Messi will retire from international football at the end of the World Cup. The 38-year-old has yet to announce any decision, however.