Following a highly competitive match between Argentina and Egypt in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, which ended with Argentina winning 3-2, many people, especially Egyptians, felt that they were unfairly denied victory due to unfair refereeing. This led to the start of a boycott of the Shipsi brand, chips from PepsiCo, featuring Messi on its packaging.
The movement to boycott these chips started on social media and gained significant momentum after Egyptian actress Dalia Mostafa called on Egyptians to stop buying the brand. This move forced PepsiCo executives into damage control mode, compelling them to seriously consider removing the Messi-featured brand from store shelves.
Supermarkets bore the biggest blow from this action, having purchased a considerable amount of these chips before the World Cup in anticipation of popularity among fans. However, the situation turned against them: as the boycott intensified in Egypt, supermarkets faced difficulties selling the product.
Nevertheless, some supermarket owners are sympathetic to this boycott and have approached the manufacturing company requesting that the photos of Messi and other players be replaced with images of Egyptian athletes. PepsiCo remains the largest chip producer in the country, reporting a profit of $24.18 billion in the second quarter of 2026.
Eight golfers from South Africa intend to compete for the Claret Jug and the title of The Open Championship, which will be held at Royal Birkdale in England. Among them will be Casey Jarvis, the champion of the South African Open.
Henny du Plessis will lead the group of South Africans competing in the 154th World Golf Championship. Du Plessis, who is 29 years old, will be the first representative of South Africa in the field at Royal Birkdale in Southport. He will start his round on Thursday morning at 9:14 AM alongside Spaniard Jose Luis Ballesteros Barrio and Englishman Dan Bradbury, aiming to win the Claret Jug.
Other hopes from South Africa include Casey Jarvis (1:58 PM), Jayden Shaper (3:09 PM), Michael Hollick (2:20 PM), Shaun Norris (1:36 PM), MD Duffy (12:04 PM), amateur Jack Buchanan, and young talent Aldrich Potgieter, who replaced Louis Oosthuizen. These players are competing in a strong field that includes reigning champion Scott Sheffield and Masters winner Rory McIlroy.
Potgieter, who took the last qualifying spot for the tournament, and amateur Buchanan will play together with Swede Jesper Svensson at 2:53 PM. Potgieter participated in the tournament after 2010 champion Louis Oosthuizen was forced to withdraw due to a back injury. Although 21-year-old Potgieter narrowly missed the final stage on Monday, Oosthuizen's withdrawal allowed him this late opportunity.
21-year-old Jarvis and 25-year-old Shaper have demonstrated excellent form this season on the DP World Tour and aim to maintain this level in the final major tournament of the year. Last year, 11 South Africans played at Royal Portrush, but only three advanced to the next stage.
Meanwhile, Sheffield failed to advance to the next stage at the Scottish Open last week, marking the first time in four years he has not made the weekend tournament. However, this gave him extra time at Royal Birkdale to prepare for defending his Golfer of the Year title and retaining the Claret Jug. Sheffield stated, referencing TheOpen.com: 'You cannot win every golf tournament. You simply cannot. Nobody has managed it. In golf, despite everything, you lose much more often than you win.'
Sheffield is in one of the groups (10:58 AM) on Thursday along with American Bryson DeChambeau and Englishman Tyrrell Hatton. Another star group starts at 4:15 PM and includes McIlroy, Xander Schoffel, and Matt Fitzpatrick.
Khalil Ben Youssef, former coach of Kaizer Chiefs and representative of Isithombe, has been appointed as the head coach of Durban City. He is preparing to debut in the CAF tournament, where he faces a challenging task—a match against the current league champions, Orlando Pirates, in the MTN8 next month.
Ben Youssef begins the season with Durban after the team finished eighth in its first season in the Betway Premiership. This debut season started under the guidance of experienced coach Gavin Hunt, with Pitso Dladla as his assistant.
Despite securing a spot in the top eight bringing the team the heavy burden of facing the titled Orlando Pirates in the cup opener, Ben Youssef and Durban City hope that the Buccaneers do not possess the sharpness that characterized their previous campaign, given current transfer rumors.
Previously, while working as an assistant coach at Kaizer Chiefs, the Tunisian tactician faced Pirates in the Soweto Derby, which ended in a frustrating draw after a previous match where a painful 3-0 victory was secured.
Now Ben Youssef leads the new, motivated Durban City team, which carries significant pressure. They previously met at Orlando Stadium late last season when Dladla was in charge. Thanks to luck and strong defensive discipline, Durban managed to draw 0-0 with Pirates, thus delaying the Buccaneers' championship celebration.
Although Dladla led the club to historic glory in the Nedbank Cup, he lacks experience in the top league and the necessary CAF coaching qualifications. The latter are strict requirements for managing the team in the upcoming CAF Confederation Cup.
Club chairman Farook Kadodia previously stated that they would 'cross this bridge when we get there,' in response to Independent Media's questions regarding Dladla's CAF A license. Consequently, Dladla will return to the role of assistant coach, playing an important role in integrating Ben Youssef into the head coach position.
The visitors (Durban City) frustrated the highly motivated home team for all 90 minutes, defending numerically and preventing clear chances. It was a masterclass in rigid organization, which became a hallmark of their debut season in the top division.
This tenacious display by the KwaZulu-Natal side was not well received by the 'Ghost,' who watched his team still win the Premiership trophy a few days later. Pirates now enter this MTN8 match with the determination to start a new season with the first step towards defending their title. In Soweto, where expectations are very high, the Buccaneers know that any result other than a convincing victory will be regarded as an extremely disappointing start.
On the other hand, Durban City has its own high aspirations. Already having experience of success in the Nedbank Cup playoffs, the KZN side firmly believes that another tactical surprise in Orlando could pave the way to winning even more trophies.
Arab football has reached a new milestone at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with a record number of eight teams qualifying for the expanded 48-team tournament. Although several teams failed to advance past the group stage, Morocco, Egypt, and Algeria once again demonstrated the ability of Arab nations to compete with the world's best teams.
The participants included teams such as Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. This number exceeded the previous record of four Arab representatives at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, indicating continuous progress in Arab football over the last decade.
Among the eight qualified teams, Morocco, Egypt, and Algeria showed the strongest results. Morocco confirmed that their impressive run to the semi-finals in Qatar four years ago was not an isolated incident. The 'Atlas Lions' once again impressed with their organization, discipline, and quality, proving they are among the leading global teams. Considering the country's preparation for co-hosting the 2030 World Cup, the future of Moroccan football looks promising.
Egypt also made a positive impression. The 'Pharaohs' came close to the quarter-finals, and it seems unfair to them that they could not advance further. A slight lack of composure at critical moments might have changed their fate, but their campaign highlighted Egypt's ability to perform at the highest level.
Algeria also had reasons to be satisfied after reaching the Round of 32. After a difficult opening loss to defending champions Argentina, the 'Desert Foxes' responded well by securing a place in the playoffs, although their journey ended against Switzerland. This marked Algeria's best performance in the World Cup since 2014.
Saudi Arabia, however, could not replicate the excitement of the 2022 World Cup. Their famous victory over future champions Argentina in Qatar remains one of the greatest surprises in the tournament's history. This time, the 'Green Eagles' managed draws with Uruguay and Cabo Verde but suffered a heavy defeat to Spain, failing to reach the knockout stages.
Tunisia had an unforgettable tournament. The 'Guardians of Carthage' lost all three group matches, failing to score any points and conceding 12 goals. For one of Africa's traditional football powers, this was a disappointing performance that will almost certainly trigger a period of reflection.
For Iraq, Qatar, and Jordan, simply qualifying for the World Cup was an achievement in itself. Iraq returned to the world stage for the first time since 1986 but faced an overly difficult task against France, Norway, and Senegal. Although the 'Lions of Mesopotamia' lost all three games, their qualification was an important step forward for Iraqi football.
Qatar failed to build on its experience hosting the 2022 World Cup. A draw with Switzerland raised hopes for a successful campaign, but defeats to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Canada led to an early end to their tournament.
Jordan, making its debut at the World Cup, fought bravely in every match despite losses to Austria, Algeria, and Argentina. Although the results were not favorable, the experience gained on the biggest football stage could prove invaluable for the country's future development.
The results were mixed, but Arab football has every reason for optimism. The record number of participants, along with the impressive performances of Morocco, Egypt, and Algeria, indicates that the gap between Arab teams and traditional powerhouses continues to narrow. If these nations continue to invest in youth development and coaching staff, even stronger results can be expected in future World Cups.
