Fact-checking claims Algerian fans branded Messi an ‘enemy of Allah’
Summary
A viral video falsely claimed that Algerian fans chanted against Lionel Messi at the 2026 World Cup, calling him an “enemy of Allah.” The audio in the video is from an old political protest chant unrelated to Messi or football, and the footage is from a 2023 friendly match in the Netherlands, not the World Cup.Key Facts
- Lionel Messi became the top scorer in World Cup history after scoring twice against Austria in 2026.
- A video circulated online alleged Algerian fans chanted aggressive slogans against Messi before their World Cup match.
- The chant in the video is actually a decade-old political protest against Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
- The original chant says “Sisi is the enemy of God,” not anything about Messi or Argentina.
- The audio used was from a protest video uploaded six years ago, not recorded at the World Cup.
- The footage shows a crowd outside Zara and H&M stores in Rotterdam, Netherlands, from a friendly match in 2023.
- The video combines unrelated footage and old audio to create a false story.
- The misinformation plays on the similarity of the names “Sisi” and “Messi.”
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