OldPutin and FIFA President Football Video Goes Viral
The Claim
A video shows Russian President Vladimir Putin and FIFA President playing football inside the Kremlin during Russia's war on Ukraine.
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Emerging story
A video purporting to show Russian President Vladimir Putin and FIFA President Gianni Infantino playing football at the Kremlin has recently circulated on social media accounts and pages, coinciding with Russia's war on Ukraine.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s team investigated the circulated claim and found it misleading. The video first appeared online in March 2018, when Russian President Vladimir Putin and FIFA president Gianni Infantino played football in one of the Kremlin offices during a celebration 100 days before Russia’s hosting of the World Cup finals that year.
The claim started to circulate against the backdrop of the continued Russian war on Ukraine, which started Thursday, Feb. 24 of last month.
FIFA announced on Feb. 28 that it had suspended the membership of Russia’s national teams and excluded them from the 2022 World Cup competitions to be hosted in Qatar near the end of 2022. FIFA also issued a joint statement with UEFA, in which they stressed that all Russian teams and clubs will be excluded from all future competitions organized by the two bodies until further notice.
Translated by Wesam Abo Marq & Ahmed N. A. Almassri
