Karim Zidan
@karimzidan
Award-winning author and investigative journalist covering the intersection of sports and politics. Pre-order my new book, THE ULTIMATE STRONGMEN, here:
Senegal’s Football Federation just discovered that the men’s national team doctor—who has worked for them for the past *10 years*—is a gynecologist, not a sports medicine doctor. This is one of Africa's football powerhouses. Extraordinary stuff.
If you think Egypt is over the soul-crushing loss to Argentina, think again. Egyptian snacks manufacturer Chipsy (basically our equivalent to Lays) has halted production of all product lines featuring Messi on the cover after Egyptians threatened to boycott the brand.
The Egyptian Relief Committee in Gaza was organizing public screenings of World Cup matches for families across the Gaza Strip. According to Dropsite News, the IDF killed the committee’s public relations director in a strike shortly before today’s Egypt-Argentina match.
Following Egypt's historic World Cup victory on Friday, the team's coach (and legendary striker) Hossam Hassan raised the Palestinian flag and dedicated the victory to its people. "I’m dedicating this victory to the Egyptian people and Palestinian people, those kind and honourable people,” he said
Prior to Egypt's World Cup win today, the team had to deal with aggressive American cops on a power trip in Dallas. Here the video of the interaction, where officers can be seen shoving one of the team coaches and a player Nothing Egyptians haven't dealt with before, both at home & in the U.S
It's been a week since my book, THE ULTIMATE STRONGMEN, became available for pre-order and it is already an Amazon bestseller! A reminder to grab your copy if you haven't already www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Kari...
Nothing to see here—just another UFC fighter casually denying the Holocaust.
Power Plays, my new narrative podcast series on the authoritarian history of the FIFA Men's World Cup, has been selected for a feature spot on Apple Podcasts. If you haven't listened to the 5-part series, now's your chance! www.sportspolitika.news/s/power-plays
Sean o'Malley up next—remember when he hosted Andrew Tate on his podcast AFTER he was accused of trafficking women?
Last month, CNN came to my home to film a special on the UFC White House event for The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper. The feature has since aired and is available to watch on the CNN app.
Episode 3 is less than a day away! In the meantime, if you haven’t already checked out the first two episodes of Power Plays, what are you waiting for? Substack link: www.sportspolitika.news/s/power-plays External players: power-plays.captivate.fm/listen?mc_ci...
The Trump admin is weaponizing Charlie Kirk's murder to crack down on the Left. Meanwhile, your favourite sports leagues have also picked sides. www.sportspolitika.news/p/charlie-ki...
Sports underscore the political cronyism rampant in the Trump-era: corporate favors, regulatory green lights, and billion-dollar deals flowing to those willing to play along and stroke dear leader's ego.
Fun Fair ((1975, 72x37cm, Etching on Zinc w/ Aquatint) By my grandmother, the pioneering Menhat Helmy Subscribe for more art here —> www.menhathelmy.com
Kidnapping and deporting U.S. residents without due process or legitimate cause isn’t the mark of a democracy—it’s the hallmark of an authoritarian regime. Trust me, I would know. I grew up under one, which is why Khalil’s case hits so close to home www.sportspolitika.news/p/maga-trump...
Going through my year-end stats at @sportspolitika.news and just realized that my 18-month-old media venture now has subscribers in 119 different countries and 49 states!
Trump, Elon Musk, and RFK Jr. are all in attendance at UFC 309. Trump got a massive ovation and the UFC had a whole promo ready on the screens as he came out.
Looks like Trump is confirmed to be attending UFC 309 at MSG tonight. And he'll be bringing RFK Jr. with him. Here they are watching the prelims on Trump's plane
Former Lebanese national team player Celine Haidar was critically injured after Israeli strikes on south Beirut today, via Assile Toufaily
Mike Tyson fact you didn't know: When Ramzan Kadyrov was trying to assume power in Chechnya after his father's assassination in 2004, he invited Tyson to the republic to pose for pics, making Tyson the first in a long list of athletes who would stump for the tyrant.