ALBAWABA - After a highly controversial Argentina vs Egypt match in the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup where Argentina won 3-2, a lot of people, especially Egyptians, felt like they were robbed of the win due to unfair refereeing; leading many to boycott Shipsi, a PepsiCo potato chip brand, which has Messi’s face on it.
Argentina-Egypt referee François Letexier closes Instagram account after unfair refereeing backlashThe movement to boycott these chips started on social media and was significantly boosted after Egyptian actress Dalia Mostafa called on Egyptians to boycott the brand. The move has sent PepsiCo execs into damage control mode leading to them to seriously consider pulling the brand with Messi’s face off the shelves.
The ones hit hardest by the move are the supermarkets who have stocked up on a not insignificant amount of these chips before the World Cup in anticipation of their popularity among fans.
The move has backfired, as supermarkets are now struggling to get the chips off their shelves as the boycott continues to pick up steam in Egypt. However, some supermarket owners are quite understanding of the boycott and are asking the manufacturing company to replace Messi’s and other player’s photos with photos of Egyptian players.
PepsiCo remains the biggest producer of potato chips in the country, recording $24.18 billion in profit in the second quarter of 2026.
