CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — Egypt coach Hossam Hassan waved a Palestinian flag on the pitch after his team’s victory over Australia in the World Cup, saying he was dedicating it to both Egyptians and Palestinians.
“My heart and soul are with them,” he said in an emotional postgame interview.
Egypt won its debut in the elimination round of the World Cup by beating Australia 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in the round of 32 Friday.
The victory comes in Egypt’s fourth World Cup.
A video of Hassan on social media shows him walking around the pitch holding the flag as people chanted “Free, free Palestine!” The video went viral.
“It was the most significant scene,” Yahia Qalash, former head of Egypt’s Journalists’ Union, said of Hassan’s move. “It was a telling scene in an exceptional moment.”
The fate of more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, largely displaced and living amid ruins, remains uncertain after a war that began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel’s retaliation has killed a total of 73,066 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The war has sparked pro-Palestinian protests around the world, with some athletes also expressing solidarity.
Earlier this year, Lamine Yamal waved a Palestinian flag during celebrations of the Spanish league title. The act caused backlash from Israel’s defense minister, who criticized Barcelona’s teenage star and said his action “incites hate.”
Hassan is not known to be religious or connected to any political group. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was adored by the youth, a street footballer who played in the slums.
He said Friday he was dedicating the game to the “good and noble” Egyptian and Palestinian people.
Asked about the Palestinian flag, FIFA said it is permitted to display it at the World Cup. There was no indication of any action being taken against Hassan.
“Flags representing all 211 FIFA Member Associations are permitted at FIFA tournaments, and supporters are welcome to display them in accordance with stadium regulations and the FIFA Stadium Code of Conduct,” the governing body told The Associated Press in a statement.
The Palestine Football Association is one of FIFA’s member organizations.
In other contexts, FIFA has previously sought to restrict what it sees as political statements on the pitch.
During the Qatar World Cup in 2022, some European teams were prevented from wearing armbands in support of the “One Love” campaign, an international anti-discrimination initiative.
During Iran’s matches in this World Cup, some Iranian Americans in Los Angeles sought to display the country’s pre-revolutionary flag and block a FIFA ban on that flag. They lost in court, and the ban was upheld.