Former Crystal Palace owner, Simon Jordan, has slammed Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan and supporters who asserted that FIFA has rigged the 2026 World Cup in favour of Lionel Messi and Argentina.
The pundit contended that the Egypt manager’s comment following the Pharaohs’ 3-2 loss to Argentina were misguided.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Jordan stated that such theories lack foundation and are merely excuses. He expressed skepticism regarding the intelligence of those who subscribe to these theories, asserting:
He said “Of course it is a stupid comment. It’s an uninformed, uneducated, unsubstantiated claim, with no empirical evidence. It’s an uneducated view. You can’t detail something is fixed unless you know it to be the case! It’s a stupid comment because it isn’t seeded in anything. What the debate is about whether people should be able to say these sort of things and whether the consequences of these things should be far-reaching.”
Jordan further criticized Hossam Hassan, admonishing the Egypt manager for his remarks, adding, “Once you have settled into the role of a manager, it is true that you cannot entirely eliminate emotion from situations, but you can learn to manage your emotions… If you are an experienced manager and you are aware that interviews will follow the game, you understand what is expected of you, what you should say, and what you should refrain from saying…”
“At that point, you should be capable of controlling your words! Regardless of your emotions, this is not your first experience. You are not inexperienced.
“You can manage these situations. While it may be easy to say from the sidelines, I have faced numerous high-pressure situations in life, business, and sports, where I knew what I should do, could do, and would do…”
Hassan alleged that FIFA is doing everything possible to ensure that Lionel Messi and Argentina remain in the World Cup for financial gain.