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Claim: A Facebook page, African Entertainment, alleged that FIFA President, Giovanni Infantino, said Brahim Diaz’s penalty miss against Senegal in the AFCON final was “intentional.”
Verdict: False! DUBAWA’s investigation found no credible record or evidence supporting the claim. The claim is not reported by any credible news agency.
Full Text
In Rabat, FIFA President, Giovanni Infantino, was at the Presidential stands when African football went haywire – after Senegalese footballers, including their coach, Thaw, walked off the pitch in protest of a controversial penalty awarded to Morocco deep into stoppage time.
Although they eventually returned to the pitch—with Morocco missing the penalty and Senegal later scoring the winner—the act of abandoning the field proved fatal to their title defence.
A few days ago, CAF’s article 84 dethroned Senegal as champion, a decision viewed by many as “untimely” and “chaotic” for African football.
As controversies keep unfolding, social media users are taking advantage of the situation to spread misinformation among the public.
The Facebook page African Entertainment alleged that FIFA President, Giovanni Infantino, said Brahim Diaz’s penalty miss against Senegal in the AFCON final was “intentional.”
Part of the claim reads: “According to FIFA PRÉSIDENT, Morocco star BRAHIM DIAZ allegedly intentionally missed his penalty during the AFCON final against Sénégal.”
A similar claim is found here and here.
DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim due to its potential to mislead the public.
Verification
Firstly, DUBAWA conducted a Google keyword search and found that the news was not reported by any credible news media.
We verified the claim on FIFA News but found no evidence to support it. We also verified the claim on his official Instagram and LinkedIn accounts, but found no evidence to support it.
See below what we found:
- After the controversial final between Senegal and Morocco in Rabat, the BBC reported only that Gianna Infantino condemned the incident, without referring to Brahim Diaz or any specific player.
- Part of what he said at the time reads: “Unfortunately, we also witnessed unacceptable scenes on the field – and in the stands – we strongly condemn the behaviour of some ‘supporters,’ as well as some Senegalese players and technical staff members.”
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s investigation found no credible record or evidence supporting the claim. It is also not reported by any credible news agency.
