Match Stopped Due to the Call to Prayer Was Not During the 2022 World Cup
The Claim
A video shows a referee at the Qatar 2022 World Cup stopping a football match due to the call to prayer.
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Emerging story
During the ongoing Qatar World Cup, social media users shared a video purporting to show a referee calling a halt to a football match due to the call to prayer.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the video and found the claim to be misleading.
After conducting a reverse image search, Misbar discovered that the video predates the current World Cup.
On January 24, 2022, the same video was published by a Twitter account.
An Old Video of a Match Stopped Due to the Call to Prayer
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg was lauded by Saudi football fans for halting a cup match to honor the Muslim call to prayer.
On January 24, 2018, while Clattenburg officiated Al Feiha vs. Al Fateh in Saudi Arabia, the call to prayer rang out from surrounding mosques.
The score was 1-1 when he called time in the fifth minute of extra time.
A video clip of the match was circulated online at the time among social media users and media outlets, in which they admired and applauded Clattenburg's decision to stop the match due to a call to prayer.
Photo Description: Screenshot from the BBC.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup
For the first time in World Cup history, the tournament is being held in an Arab country.
This is Asia's second World Cup, following the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
The tournament, which began on November 20 and is expected to last until December 18.
The knockout stage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup began on December 3—the tournament's 14th day—with two matches scheduled every day until December 6, 2022.
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