The Arab Cup "Qatar 2021" competitions started on November 30, with 16 teams participating from different Arab countries. The Algerian team won the cup for the first time after defeating Tunisia with two goals in the final match.
Many rumors and fake stories related to the event have been circulated, especially on social media.
Misbar worked on a report about the most prominent rumors related to the Algeria-Morocco match and another blog about the most prominent rumors related to the Qatar-Algeria match in the Arab Cup.
We dedicated this blog to reviewing other fake and misleading news that Misbar had already verified and investigated.
Rumors about the Syrian national team:
After the Syria-Tunisia match, many social media users have circulated news claiming FIFA chose the Syrian national football team as the best team in the second round of the Arab Cup 2021 after defeating its Tunisian counterpart. Misbar has verified the claim and found that it is fake news since neither the official FIFA platforms nor credible media websites did mention anything about it.
A clip claiming it shows one of the Syrian national team players crying after losing the game against their Mauritanian counterpart went viral. But the clip is old and has been uploaded to YouTube since January 13, 2011. The video refers to the Syria-China match during the Asian Cup.
Misleading news related to the Egypt-Algeria match:
There was much fake news related to the Egypt-Algeria football match in the Arab Cup. Many social media posts claimed the Algerian Football Federation decided to submit an official protest to the organizing committee of the Arab Cup against the Egyptian team's score. The claim was fake news. The Algerian Football Federation denied it in an official statement.
Social media users and pages have circulated a video claiming the Egypt-Algeria match referee, Facundo Teo, apologized to the Algerians for "the mistakes he made while refereeing the football match." Misbar's team found that the clip was fabricated, the Argentine referee, Facundo Teo, did not issue any statement regarding this match.
After the match, some social media users circulated a picture claiming it depicts the Algerian player Baghdad Bounedjah in the hospital after he sustained an injury. Misbar has investigated the claim and found that it is an old picture, and it shows the player after a surgery he had on April 17, 2020, and Bounedjah himself had published it, at that time, on his Instagram account.
Different rumors:
A fake statement attributed to the former Egyptian football player and beIN Sports channels' analyst, Muhammad Abu Trika, claimed he wished the Algerian team to win the Arab Cup because it is the only team that can raise the Palestinian flag.
After the Algeria-Tunisia football match, circulating posts claimed the Egyptian player Amr Al-Sulayya apologized to the Egyptian people and begged them to stop criticizing him because of his mistaken goal against the Egyptian team. Misbar has checked the claim and found that it is fake news. The football player's official page on Facebook has not published any posts related to this story.
The Libyan news channel, Al Jamahiriya, broadcasted a video clip claiming it shows Algerian fans mourning for the former Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi during one of the Arab Cup matches. Misbar investigated the claim and found it misleading. The video is outdated and was uploaded to YouTube in January 2012.
News websites, social media accounts, and pages have circulated a picture claiming Moroccan authorities have closed shops and cafes in Western Sahara to ensure that no one is supporting the Algerian team during the Arab Cup. The picture is old and from another Moroccan region, and it shows the shops’ closure because of violation of COVID-19 restrictions.
Translated by: Khadija Boufous
