FIFA hands bans to Egypt camp following World Cup clash with Argentina

FIFA has handed match bans to Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan and forward Mostafa Ziko for three and five games, respectively. The sanctions come after both heavily criticized the referee following their 3-2 defeat against Argentina in the World Cup round of 16 in the summer.

The 60-year-old Hassan was punished for blaming his side's elimination on officiating errors, while Ziko insulted the referee during a post-match interview.

Ibrahim Hassan, Hossam's twin brother and Egypt's national team director, was also given a three-match ban.

"The decisions include three-match suspensions for both Hossam Hassan and Ibrahim Hassan, while Ziko has been banned for five matches," the Egyptian Football Association said in an official statement.

The federation added that it has requested the grounds for the decision from the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to evaluate legal avenues and decide whether to lodge an appeal.

During the clash, Ziko had a goal disallowed for a foul in the build-up, and Egypt saw a late penalty appeal waved away with the score tied at 2-2.

FIFA Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi Collina stood by the match officials, warning that such accusations could trigger threats against referees and their families.

The suspensions mean Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan could miss Egypt's Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Malawi in November, along with the first fixture of the March international window. Ziko will remain sidelined until June.