Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Cristiano Ronaldo supports Palestine by wrapping himself with the country’s flag on the field.
Fact
The player in the video is not Cristiano Ronaldo, but Moroccan player Jawad El Yamiq draping himself with the Palestinian flag.
Amidst the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a video depicting a football player unfurling the Palestinian flag on the field has gained significant attention on social media. Those sharing the video claim that the player is none other than Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, showing his support for Palestine by draping himself with the country’s flag.
The post can be viewed here| Archive link
This video has been shared by several verified users on X with the same claim. Those can be viewed by clicking here, here and here.
Meanwhile, several Facebook users have also shared the video claiming that the player seen on the footage is Cristiano Ronaldo. One may see such posts here, here and here.
Fact Check / Verification
In order to ascertain the facts of the viral video, we began by closely analysing the viral footage. We noticed that the player in the video was wearing a jersey with the number 18. It is widely known that football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has consistently worn the No. 7 jersey, particularly during his time with Manchester United.
Furthermore, we carried out reverse image searches on both Google and Yandex using key-frames extracted from the video. Which led us to this webpage on GettyImages, published on December 1, 2022, which revealed that the image was clicked during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group F match between Canada and Morocco at Al Thumama Stadium on December 01, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.
The captioned read, “Canada v Morocco: Group F – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: DOHA, QATAR – DECEMBER 01: Jawad El Yamiq of Morocco celebrates after the team’s qualification to the knockout stages during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group F match between Canada and Morocco at Al Thumama Stadium on December 01, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images).”
We also found many YouTube posts of the same video shared by verified YouTube channels, on December 2, 2020, with the caption “Moroccan player Jawad El Yamiq raises Palestinian flag.” Such posts can be seen here, here and here.
Newschecker also found a report published by the well-known sports website Marca on December 10, 2022, with the headline, “The Yamiq takes advantage of Morocco’s success to vindicate the ‘Palestinian cause’ Triumph to Advocate for the ‘Palestinian Cause’.”
Subsequently, we obtained a report from CNN, published on December 7, titled “Palestinian Flag Waved on Pitch as Morocco Celebrates Historic World Cup Win.” The report can be viewed by clicking here.
Conclusion
Thus, we find that the viral image claiming that Cristiano Ronaldo showed support to Palestine by draping himself with the Palestinian flag, is not true. The player seen in the video is Moroccan footballer is Jawad El Yamiq and the incident took place during a match of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Result: False
Our Sources:
1. Report published by Marca, dated December 10, 2022
2. Report published by CNN, dated December 7, 2022
3. Report published by Olympic.com, dated November 15, 2022
4. Report by GettyImages, dated December 1, 2022
5. X post by @syedumar584, dated October 9, 2023
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Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
