The flamboyant Fulham owner vented his fury at the players at the club's training ground on Tuesday - their first day back following the humiliating defeat against Hughes' former employers.
Al Fayed has been no stranger to controversy since he bought the club in 1997. He slammed former manager Roy Hodgson for joining Liverpool after guiding the team through arguably its most successful period in history and once said FIFA was run by "idiots".
But the Egyptian, who is a regular at Fulham games, was not meddling in first-team affairs according to Hughes, who hopes the ticking off will inspire his team to a much-needed victory against Birmingham.
"Yes, he (Al Fayed) came down to the training ground," Hughes confirmed. "He is obviously the chairman and takes a real active interest in the club. He's at all the home games and chats with the guys so it was good to see him.
"It was good that the players heard his views of the performance at the weekend. We had obviously already discussed what we felt about the game as a group of players and management so his input was noted and obviously we want to build on what we feel we have achieved this season in terms of performance level. We hope it helps us win Saturday's match."
Source: PA