FIFA suspended Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan for three matches following comments he made after the team’s World Cup round-of-16 defeat to Argentina, the Egyptian Football Association announced Monday.

Forward Mostafa Zico was also handed a five-match ban, it added.

The sanctions stem from Egypt’s 3-2 defeat to Argentina in Atlanta, US, on July 6 during the World Cup.

“The Egyptian Football Association received the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee regarding Hossam Hassan, the national team coach, Ibrahim Hassan, the team manager, and player Mostafa Zico,” the association said in a statement.

Ibrahim Hassan was suspended for three matches.

The association said it had requested “the detailed reasons and justifications for the decisions” from FIFA to assess its legal options and prepare an appeal.

The suspensions could rule the Hassan brothers out of Egypt’s upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Malawi in November, as well as the first match of the March international window.

Zico’s five-match suspension is expected to keep him out of action until June.

Egypt were eliminated in the last 16 after surrendering a 2-0 lead in a tense encounter. The Pharaohs were angered by several refereeing decisions, including a disallowed goal early in the second half.

A member of Egypt’s coaching staff was also shown a red card after Argentina scored the winning goal.

Hossam Hassan subsequently accused the team’s opponents of having “cheated” Egypt out of a place in the quarterfinals after Argentina completed a late comeback.​​​​​​​ (AA)