Goa, July 11 -- Vivek Menezes

Just as it became obvious his gallant football team was going to be unfairly refereed out of their hard-earned and historic triumph against Argentina in the World Cup quarter-final earlier this week, the Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan threw up his arms in the official FIFA "no racism" symbol to alert the referees about racial abuse on the pitch. We're all painfully aware nothing happened, and in fact, it was Hassam who was reprimanded with a yellow card, but his wordless gesture flashed around the world instantly indelible, as a vivid embodiment of all the betrayal, anger and frustration of that dreadful moment.

Those images will outlive and overshadow anything that might happen in the field of play during th...