Mostafa Ziko banned for five matches by FIFA, Hossam Hassan for three, over Argentina World Cup comments

FIFA has suspended the Egypt and Pyramids forward over comments after the 3-2 World Cup defeat to Argentina. Which AFCON 2027 qualifiers he misses and what the EFA plans.

By Jean Michel Kamga, Founder and publication director · yesterday · AFCON qualifiers · 1 min read

Mostafa Ziko lors d'Argentine – Égypte, en huitièmes de finale du Mondial 2026 — Photo : Bryan Berlin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized

FIFA's disciplinary committee has suspended Egypt forward Mostafa Ziko for five matches, and coach Hossam Hassan and his brother Ibrahim Hassan, the team director, for three matches each.

Why?

The case concerns comments made after Egypt's 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup. According to KingFut, Ziko accused the referee of influencing the result and said the tournament favoured Argentina; Hossam Hassan claimed commercial interests favoured Argentina and Lionel Messi.

Which matches do they miss?

Ziko: Egypt's remaining AFCON 2027 qualifiers (Malawi twice in November, then Angola and South Sudan in March 2027), plus one further match.
Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan: the two November games against Malawi and the March qualifier against Angola.

The Egyptian Football Association has asked FIFA for the full reasons behind the decisions and is preparing an appeal. Ziko remains available for his club, Pyramids, in the CAF Champions League.

Sources

FAQ

Why was Mostafa Ziko banned?

For comments after Egypt's 3-2 World Cup defeat to Argentina, in which he accused the referee of influencing the result.

How many matches is Ziko banned for?

Five matches with Egypt, covering the remaining AFCON 2027 qualifiers plus one more game.

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Mostafa Ziko banned for five matches by FIFA, Hossam Hassan for three, over Argentina World Cup comments

Why?

Which matches do they miss?

Sources

FAQ

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