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| Argentine star Lionel Messi |
Egypt's exit from the World Cup sparked a wave of anger in the country, prompting a popular snack company to stop producing packages bearing the image of Argentine star Lionel Messi.
The Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot commented on this decision, saying that the loss of the Egyptian national team to Argentina and its exit from the World Cup are still causing a great storm in the country, as a large part of the anger on social media is directed towards Lionel Messi and Israel because of the raising of the Israeli flag in the Argentine stands during the match.
Egyptian media outlets reported in the past 24 hours that the Chipsy company has halted production of all products featuring the image of the Argentine national team captain on their packaging.
The Hebrew newspaper added that these special packages were produced as part of a campaign launched by the company before the World Cup. According to the Egyptian reports, existing stock in stores will not be removed from shelves and will continue to be sold, but no further packages bearing Messi's image will be produced at this stage.
She noted that this step comes amid an angry campaign that developed on social media networks in the country after the Egyptian national team's loss, where many users posted videos expressing their anger at the continued appearance of the Argentine star's image on the company's products, demanding that Chipsy's management remove his image from the packages.
A user holding a blue bag bearing Messi's image addresses the Argentinian star, saying, "Messi, this is your place, you trash," before throwing the bag in the trash. In another video, the same person attacks the company, saying, "Chipsy is provoking Egyptians. You put Messi's picture on the front of the pack, and let me tell you something: I hope you remove this picture because we hate this man." He also ends his video by throwing the bag in the trash.
Meanwhile, it seems the company is trying to redirect attention to the national team and mitigate the criticism. Chipsy posted a video of the Egyptian national team players in its Stories today with the caption, "You honored us, heroes." This message comes as the controversy surrounding the Messi campaign continues, amidst calls from Egyptian fans to stop using the Argentinian's image in the company's advertisements.
These events reflect the immense public interest in football in Egypt, where sporting performance becomes a matter of public opinion that extends far beyond the stadiums.
Chipsy is one of the most prominent snack brands in Egypt, and major companies usually link their products to sports stars in tournaments such as the World Cup to boost sales. However, the national team's early exit turned the equation around and aroused feelings of frustration among the fans, which they translated into a symbolic boycott of the product associated with the star who was the reason for their team's elimination. This highlights the deep overlap between sports, marketing, and public sentiment in the Egyptian street.
