Egypt said on Wednesday that it categorically rejects the ratification by the Libyan parliament of a 2019 maritime memorandum with Turkey, warning Ankara that it will not allow its sovereign rights in the Eastern Mediterranean to be questioned.

In a Foreign Ministry statement, Cairo said the memorandum is “absolutely null and void” and produces no legal effect for Egypt.

It said the deal violates the principles of the law of the sea and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which govern the delimitation of exclusive economic zones and continental shelves.

The ministry described the memorandum as a clear violation of Egypt’s sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf.

It said Egypt had opposed the agreement before and rejects any act by any party based on it.

As the memorandum contradicts Egypt’s declared maritime borders, Cairo said it “reserves its right to protect its rights” under international law and to confront any attempt to violate them.

The Libyan parliament voted unanimously on Tuesday to ratify the agreement, about seven years after it was signed by the internationally recognised Libyan government and Turkey.

Israel also condemned the vote, with its foreign ministry saying on X that the decision “violates the sovereign rights of our close allies in the region”, and that “unfortunately, once again we see Turkey acting with the aim of destabilising the Eastern Mediterranean region,” it said.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas raised the issue with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Brussels on Wednesday.

She said she told him the vote “infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states”.

European Council president Antonio Costa and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen earlier said they “deeply regret” the ratification.

They likewise said the deal “does not comply with the law of the sea” and “is null and void”.

Greece and Cyprus object to the agreement on the grounds that Turkey and Libya do not share a maritime border, since islands are each entitled to a full exclusive economic zone.

FIFA has suspended this Tuesday Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan for three matches over his conduct during and after the team’s round-of-16 elimination against Argentina at the 2026 World Cup.

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The ruling came from FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee more than three months after the match. The sanction is based on his conduct on the field and at the post-match press conference.

After a goal for his side was disallowed, Hassan crossed his arms in protest in front of the broadcast cameras.

RELATED: FIFA Drops Private Investment Plan, Infantino Proposes $6.35B Program

The case also reached Hassan’s inner circle. His twin brother and sporting director, Ibrahim Hassan, received an identical three-match suspension for backing the complaints. Forward Mostafa Zico was suspended for five matches after alleging match-fixing and saying of the referee that he “pursued them from the start.” Those are the allegations as reported, and the source offers no evidence for them. The reports do not name the referee or detail the disallowed goal.

As a result, the Pharaohs will face their next official matches without their main coaching staff.

🚨 𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧: FIFA has suspended Egypt coach Hossam Hassan and team director Ibrahim Hassan for three matches each and forward Mostafa Zico for five.

↳ 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗫𝗧
The bans follow criticism of refereeing after Egypt’s 3-2 World Cup round-of-16 loss to Argentina on 7 July… pic.twitter.com/sCkkKiodN5

— BetBugs Football (@betbugsnews) October 20, 2026

Egypt Weighs Appeal

Following the official notification, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) issued a statement confirming the ruling against its national coach. The federation requested the detailed grounds of the decision in order to study the legal arguments and assess a formal appeal on behalf of its coaching staff.

An appeal would test whether FIFA will reconsider penalties handed down so long after the incident. The coach’s comments about the referee’s nationality (“Argentina pressured the referee beforehand because he was French“) were the sharpest part of his protest, and they remain central to the disciplinary file.

Round of 16 matches at the World Cup are officiated by referees appointed by FIFA, and public criticism of officials is commonly punished under its disciplinary code. Accusing a referee of bias or of match-fixing without evidence is generally treated as a serious offense, which may explain the longer ban handed to Zico.

The disallowed goal became the flashpoint. Hassan’s gesture in front of the cameras and his remarks in the press room turned a match dispute into a disciplinary case that will now shape Egypt’s next stretch of competitive football.

For a national side building toward future campaigns, losing both the coach and his closest staff member for three games carries weight. The federation’s next move, whether to accept the punishment or pursue an appeal, will determine how much longer the controversy lingers. The case also shows how long FIFA’s disciplinary process can take, since the sanctions arrived months after the tournament ended.

The Egyptian National Defense Council announced that it had agreed to offer "all necessary and possible forms of support to Saudi Arabia" against the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists of Yemen.

The post Egypt Offers Saudi Arabia Support Against Houthis as Turkey and Pakistan Go MIA appeared first on Breitbart.