Karim Zidan
Karim Zidan is a journalist, author and custodian of the art estate belonging to his pioneering grandmother, Menhat Helmy.
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And: menhathelmy.com
- From former FIFA presidents to European lawmakers, there is a growing call to boycott the 2026 World Cup. But boycotts demand backbone, moral clarity, and a willingness to absorb real costs. European leaders possess none of the three. www.sportspolitika.news/p/world-cup-...
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- Once a force for decolonization and African pride, the continent's crowning jewel of football—the AFCON—is increasingly beholden to local autocrats and European interests. www.sportspolitika.news/p/afrcon-foo...
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- This is what propagandists do, not news outlets.
- Reposted by Karim ZidanI will never regret being part of the movement to free Alaa Abd el-Fattah, or writing the foreword to his extraordinary book, You Have Not Yet Been Defeated. Read his honest and heartfelt response to those playing politics with his hard-won freedom. #FreeAlaa Always. freealaa.net/alaa-response
- Reposted by Karim ZidanEuropean states need immigrants but don't want them. How to square that circle? Posture against immigrants while taking in more than ever before but treating them as a permanent second-class serving caste with few rights. Me @financialtimes.com on European kafala as.ft.com/r/7e2026f8-5...
- Reposted by Karim Zidanhey if you're wondering "has a baseball website covered whatever the fuck Miller is talking about, for some reason and done it more accurately than he is?" the answer is absolutely, yes: www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article...
- As I watched the FIFA Arab Cup unfold over the past couple of weeks in Qatar, I couldn’t help but think of Abdullah Ibhais, the whistleblower jailed for not spinning migrant abuses, and his recent revelations about Qatari surveillance of journalists www.sportspolitika.news/p/qatar-foot...
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- Reposted by Karim ZidanInstead of relying on wealthy donors, congressional candidate @katmabu.bsky.social is using a Twitch stream to raise money – and fight a federal indictment aftermath.site/kat-abughaza...
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- I wrote this bit of satire back in October. Seems especially fitting today after Infantino awarded Trump the farcical "FIFA Peace Prize" www.sportspolitika.news/p/nfantino-p...
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- As UFC champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov built a brand on humility, faith, and denouncing vices like gambling. His brand is now repeatedly deployed to legitimize volatile financial products and fans are noticing. www.sportspolitika.news/p/khabib-nur...
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- The World Cup will be marketed as a celebration of football. But at its core, it is a political pact: Infantino’s empire depends on Trump’s blessing, and Trump’s nationalist project finds the perfect megaphone in Infantino’s FIFA. www.sportspolitika.news/p/trump-fifa...
- From attending Kadyrov’s heir’s 18th birthday and testing rocket launchers to fake real estate deals, former UFC champ Jon Jones proved eager to play the sanctioned strongman’s stooge during his surprise visit to Chechnya www.sportspolitika.news/p/jon-jones-...
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- Reposted by Karim ZidanPTFO collaborated with @msjpauly.bsky.social and @motherjones.com on an investigation into Riley Gaines. Riley’s messaging about trans athletes involves “predatory men” and “sexual assault.” But there’s an important story multiple ex-teammates at Kentucky want you to know: youtu.be/iKUl8lkuGOc?...
- Proud to feature @shireenahmed.bsky.social's latest on how World Ultimate Frisbee players are mounting an unprecedented protest against Israel’s participation, whose team boasts active IDF soldiers. www.sportspolitika.news/p/ultimate-f...
- Reposted by Karim ZidanI’ve spent a lot of the last three years investigating the rise of anti-trans politics. Often, it came back to the controversy over trans women athletes. So I teamed up with @pablo.show to look into the leading figure on the issue: Riley Gaines. www.motherjones.com/politics/202... 1/
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- Proud to feature this guest essay by @mathewforesta.bsky.social, who argues that the LA Dodgers must take a stand and reject an invitation to the White House www.sportspolitika.news/p/dodgers-oh...
- Two games stand between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the 2026 World Cup. For a country still struggling to find common ground three decades after war, football may offer the closest thing to unity. www.sportspolitika.news/p/bosnia-bar...
- Reposted by Karim ZidanOn Monday, we published this investigation into "Exiles of the Golden Age," a fascist conference in Vancouver this July. We identified 18 of the 50+ people our photographer captured outside the venue, including small business owners and neo-Nazis. Here's how we did it. 🧵
- Ahead of a pair of crucial World Cup qualifiers, Nadan Hadzic writes about football's role in Bosnia Herzegovina—a country still healing from the wounds of war. www.sportspolitika.news/p/bosnia-bar...
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- Reposted by Karim ZidanNothing illustrates the arseholery of the IOC and the British Press more than the use of the image of a not-Trans woman to illustrate a story about trans women being banned (because there are no current trans women competing at this level)
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- I was interviewed as part of the CBC & @antihate.ca's investigation that exposed a covert neo-Nazi gathering involving MMA gym owners, coaches and recruiters for fascist fight clubs. www.sportspolitika.news/p/mma-neo-na...
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- Reposted by Karim Zidan“Fifa is a parastate that acts like a parasite, treating World Cup hosts like its own private Vegas buffet.” 🔥🔥🔥🔥
- My latest @theguardian.com: As a genuine soccer fan & generational political talent, freshly elected NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani might be able to achieve the unthinkable: force the FIFA behemoth to share its lucre by targeting its tax exemptions & extreme privilege www.theguardian.com/football/202...
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- Another betting scandal is threatening the UFC's reputation. Yet with the FBI now headed by a Trump loyalist, any notion of a legitimate crackdown is not just improbable—it’s absurd. www.sportspolitika.news/p/ufc-bettin...
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- More than forty years after her work was last seen in India, my grandmother Menhat Helmy returns to the country’s art scene through a groundbreaking new exhibition opening next month in Mumbai. www.menhathelmy.com/p/announceme...
- This week, four more footballers from Gaza were killed by Israeli strikes. Two of them were children. In total, more than 800 athletes, including 400+ footballers, have been killed. So I ask (again): why is Israel still allowed to compete in global sports? www.sportspolitika.news/p/israel-spo...
- Kramnik has released an official statement, where he denies accusing Naroditsky of cheating, absolves himself of any responsibility in his death, and signs off by claiming that “under no circumstances am I planning on taking my own life.” www.sportspolitika.news/p/naroditsky...
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- In this guest essay for Sports Politika, Bobby Crace reflects on the Knicks as a civic bond for New Yorkers, and on the tension between collective fandom and the politics of the team’s ownership. www.sportspolitika.news/p/new-yok-kn...
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- After Daniel Naroditsky’s sudden death, FIDE has launched an investigation into a Russian grandmaster's anti-cheating crusade & alleged bullying. But how can chess find justice when its rulers answer to the Kremlin? www.sportspolitika.news/p/naroditsky...
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- Reposted by Karim ZidanIsraeli NGO has documented an alarming rise in racism among Israeli supporter groups, with Maccabi Tel Aviv top of the list. The “absence of a serious and effective effort" within Israel Football Association to combat racism should be of serious concern to UEFA. www.theguardian.com/football/202...
- The Louvre isn't the only museum targeted by thieves. Pål Enger, a Norwegian pro footballer, masterminded the theft of The Scream during the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer. It took just 50 seconds to steal one of the world’s most iconic masterpieces. www.sportspolitika.news/p/football-a...
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- Neglected and disillusioned, an Egyptian Olympic medalist switched nationalities to the U.S. — part of a wider exodus of talent reflecting Egypt’s deeper economic woes. “We are Egypt’s heroes...but we face neglect. It’s all promises and painkillers.” www.sportspolitika.news/p/egypt-olym...
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- Reposted by Karim ZidanA thread on Barney Ronay's article criticising the decision Birmingham City Council and supported by West Midlands police to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from traveling to Birmingham. It might be a depressing decision but it's not a terrible one. www.theguardian.com/football/202...
