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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Sports fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about sports. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

1,766 published reviews in this topic

FACTLYSports

Lionel Messi is photographed holding the Israeli national flag as a gesture of his support for the country

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a circulating image said to show Lionel Messi holding an Israeli national flag in support of Israel. FACTLY reports that the flag was added to a photograph: in the original, Messi is holding a placard for icons.com, an online store for signed football memorabilia. The investigation therefore addresses the image itself, rather than establishing Messi’s views or support for Israel.

FACTLYSports

Pictures of Rashid Khan waving the Indian flag after Afghanistan defeated Pakistan during the ICC World Cup 2023

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns pictures and video circulating after Afghanistan beat Pakistan in their 23 October 2023 World Cup match, said to show Afghanistan cricketer Rashid Khan waving the Indian flag. FACTLY reports that the images were altered and that Khan did not wave the flag after the match. For one image, the investigation used reverse image search and found a similar photograph on ESPN Cricinfo. Its caption identified the scene as Afghanistan’s win over Pakistan, in Chennai, on 23 October 2023. FACTLY says the original photograph shows Khan without an Indian flag, unlike the image shared in the post. For a separate viral video, reverse image search did not locate a credible source for the flag-bearing image. FACTLY then compared it with similar visuals in a Disney Hotstar full-match replay: in those original visuals Khan waves both hands to the audience, but does not hold or wave the Indian flag. The review’s conclusion is that the flag-waving depictions were morphed, not authentic footage of Khan’s post-match actions.

Fact CrescendoSports

Claim: cristiano ronaldo not supported palestine

Publisher’s rating: ஃபேக்ட் கிரஸண்டோ ரேட்டிங்: FALSE

The review addresses a social-media video shared with a claim that Cristiano Ronaldo had expressed support for Palestinians. It says readers sent the material to the publisher through WhatsApp asking whether it was genuine, and notes that the post caption described Ronaldo as standing with Palestine. The review’s finding is that the video was not evidence for that current claim. To check the video’s provenance, the investigation reports that it was shared by Ronaldo on Instagram in 2016 and was also posted on his official Twitter account. It says contemporary media reports covered the video as well. The review identifies its original subject as children affected by the civil war in Syria, rather than the then-current Israel–Palestine conflict. The key context is therefore the video’s earlier publication and different subject: according to the review, footage concerning Syrian children was recirculated and linked to the Israel–Palestine conflict. That distinction supports the conclusion that the clip does not establish that Ronaldo made the claimed statement of support for Palestinians.

Factcrescendo ThailandSports

Fans of Atletico Madrid displaying a large Palestinian national flag at the team’s football stadium

Publisher’s rating: False

The claim concerns a viral image said to show Atletico Madrid fans displaying a large Palestinian flag at the team’s football stadium. The review reports that the image circulated with the caption “Thank you Atletico Madrid fans” after being shared by the Facebook page “Troll Football Pakistan” on October 19. It says the image was also shared on X and Instagram. The review’s conclusion is that the image is not a genuine stadium photograph, but was generated using AI. [S1] The investigation describes two strands of evidence. It says Huggingface and Hivemoderation image-verification tools both indicated that the image was highly likely to be AI-generated. It also reports visual irregularities in the image, including an abnormally long arm and missing hands. These are presented as evidence against treating the image as a real photograph, rather than as evidence that fans actually displayed the flag at the stadium. [S1] The review further reports that an X account called “Atletico Universe,” described as among the first to share the image, confirmed to India Today that its owner made the image with Bing Image Creator as a show of support for Palestine. That reported admission provides a direct explanation for the image’s origin and supports the review’s conclusion that it does not document the claimed stadium scene. [S1]

Factcrescendo Sri LankaSports

A Crowd Raising The Palestinian Flag At Atletico Madrid’s Football Stadium(PHOTO)!!

Publisher’s rating: False

The claim concerns a viral image presented as a photograph of Atletico Madrid fans displaying a large Palestinian flag at the team’s football stadium. Fact Crescendo reports that the image circulated with the caption “Thank you Atletico Madrid fans,” including in a Facebook post by “Troll Football Pakistan,” and also appeared on X and Instagram. Its review concludes that the image was not a genuine stadium photograph but was generated using AI. The review describes two lines of support for that conclusion. First, it says AI-image verification checks on Huggingface and Hivemoderation both indicated that the image was highly likely to be AI-generated. Second, the reviewers pointed to visual irregularities, including an abnormally long arm and missing hands. These observations support the finding that the image itself was artificial, rather than evidence of a real crowd raising the flag at the stadium. The review also traced the image to an X account called “Atletico Universe.” According to the review’s account of an India Today report, the account owner confirmed creating the image with Bing Image Creator as a display of support for Palestine. That reported admission provides direct provenance for the image and corroborates the review’s conclusion that it was AI-generated, not a photograph of Atletico Madrid fans at the stadium.