Claim: A Facebook page, Our Own TV, claimed that Egypt has banned Argentine football star Lionel Messi from entering the country
Verdict: False. DUBAWA found no official statement from the Egyptian government or football authorities supporting the claim. The story originated from a parody X account that clearly labelled the post as fictional.
Full Text
A viral graphic shared by a Facebook page, Our Own TV, claimed that Egypt has reportedly banned Lionel Messi from entering the country. The claim has generated thousands of reactions and shares, with many users believing it to be genuine. The post gained traction across the different Meta platforms and has been widely shared on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and X (formerly Twitter). See here, here, and here.
Given Messi’s global profile and the diplomatic implications of such a decision, DUBAWA investigated the claim’s authenticity.
Verification
DUBAWA reviewed the official communication channels of Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Immigration Sector (see website) and found no statement or announcement indicating that Lionel Messi has been banned from entering Egypt.
The investigation also extended to the official platforms of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), where no announcement or comment on the decision was found.
Further tracing of the claim revealed that it originated from HoopsCrave, a parody account on X (formerly Twitter). Although the post appeared to be a genuine news update, the account included a disclaimer stating that its content is fictional and not real news. Many users overlooked the disclaimer, allowing the fabricated story to spread widely across multiple social media platforms.
It appears that the Facebook page Our Own TV, along with other accounts that shared the claim, republished a screenshot or paraphrased version of the HoopsCrave post without its original disclaimer, presenting it as a genuine news report.
Additionally, DUBAWA found no reports from reputable international media outlets such as BBC, Reuters, AFP, AP, Sky Sports, ESPN, or Al Jazeera confirming that Egypt had imposed any travel ban on Lionel Messi. Given the football icon’s international status, such a decision would almost certainly have been widely reported by credible news organisations.
Conclusion
The claim that Egypt has banned Lionel Messi from entering the country is false. No official Egyptian authority has issued such an announcement, and no credible news organisation has reported it. DUBAWA checks found that the claim originated from a parody X account whose post was clearly marked as fictional, then taken out of context and circulated as genuine news.