Multiple users have been sharing a video on social media platforms X and Facebook on Wednesday, claiming that it shows Lionel Messi winking at a referee during the Argentina vs Egypt match on July 7. However, the video is from the Argentina-Cape Verde contest, which took place on July 4.
Messi and Argentina received backlash over match-fixing accusations after their 3-2 comeback win over Egypt. Football fans called out a controversial VAR decision, which disallowed the third goal for Egypt. The referee ruled that Egypt’s Marwan Attia had fouled Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez in the opposite penalty box.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan also argued with the referee after they were denied two penalty calls inside the box, particularly after an alleged foul on Mohamed Salah prior to a decisive Argentinian breakaway.
How it started
Today, an X user, who appears to be a football fan based on his previous posts, shared a video showing Messi winking at a referee with the following caption: “Messi was spotted winking at the referee after Argentina were 2:0 down.”
The post racked up 1.5 million views.
Another user shared the same clip on Facebook with the following caption: “Messi winked at the referee, no words needed.”
It gained 753,000 views.
Another account posted the same video with a similar caption, accumulating 691,000 views.
The same clip was posted by another user on X with the following caption: “Messi was spotted winking at the referee after Argentina were trailing 2-0.”
It garnered 15,700 views.
Several other X users also shared the same video, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here; collectively gaining 24,000 views.
Although none of the viral posts explicitly claimed the clip was from the Argentina vs Egypt match, many implied it by referencing Egypt’s 2–0 lead and sharing the video shortly after the game. The clip circulated amid controversy over refereeing decisions, with some users using it to support allegations that Messi had influenced the referees.
Methodology
A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to high virality and keen public interest in the controversy surrounding the Argentina vs Egypt match.
An analysis of the viral clip revealed a username appearing in the video. A subsequent keyword search on the said username yielded a TikTok post dated July 4 with the caption: “Cape Verde Had it”.
This showed that the clip predates Argentina’s July 7 match against Egypt, while the caption claims it shows scenes from the Argentina-Cape Verde game.
A visual review of the video also showed that at the six-second mark, the venue of the match, visible under the FIFA logo, was Miami, while the Egypt-Argentina match was played at the Atlanta Stadium, also known as the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Georgia.
According to FIFA’s official website and several other mainstream media outlets such as Al Jazeera, Reuters, and The Guardian, Argentina played Cape Verde in Miami on July 4.
Moreover, a reverse image search yielded several social media posts dated July 4 — the day of the Argentina vs Cape Verde match — wherein the viral video was shared, as can be seen here, here, here, and here.
A further review of the video of the Argentina-Cape Verde match showed the moment Messi winked at the referee after the final whistle, at the 2:24:17 mark. This proves that the clip circulating online was not from the July 7 Argentina-Egypt game.
Fact-check status: misleading
The claim that a viral video shows Messi winking at the referee after Argentina’s July 7 match against Egypt is misleading.
The clip shows scenes from Argentina’s match with Cape Verde on July 4.
This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.
