Clarifying the Context Behind Moroccan Football Stars' Gesture
Recently circulated images have sparked claims that Moroccan national team players expressed solidarity with Egypt's coach, Hossam Hassan, by making a gesture against racism following Egypt's 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. However, these assertions are misleading and lack factual basis.
The truth is that the photos in question are not recent; they date back to March 30, 2026. The images feature Morocco's coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, along with players Achraf Hakimi and Yassine Bounou, participating in a photoshoot during the preliminary arrival day for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Lens, France, as archived by Getty Images.
In the disputed photos, each of the Moroccan footballers is seen crossing their arms in an 'X' shape. This gesture was mistakenly linked to Hossam Hassan, who had made a similar sign during a match against Argentina. The images were shared across various social media accounts with misleading captions stating that Moroccan stars were showing solidarity with Hassan against racism.
Understanding Hossam Hassan's Gesture
Hossam Hassan's gesture came under scrutiny during the match against Argentina, where his team suffered a controversial loss. Following Argentina's third goal, Hassan crossed his arms in front of the referee, which led to widespread speculation among fans and commentators. Some interpreted this gesture as a reference to FIFA's anti-racism protocol, intended to signal a report of racial abuse. However, Hassan clarified that his actions were a protest against the referee's decisions rather than any racial incident.
While FIFA does use a crossed-arms gesture as a universal sign to report racial abuse, Hassan's action during the match was specifically aimed at questioning the officiating, particularly the validity of the goal scored by Enzo Fernández, which came after a contentious play that had previously denied Egypt a penalty.
In reality, the images of the Moroccan players are unrelated to Hassan's situation. A reverse image search reveals that these photos were taken during a scheduled photoshoot, and not in response to any current events. The confusion arises from the timing of their circulation and the similarity of the gestures made by Hassan and the Moroccan players, but there is no connection between them.
As reported by annahar.com.
