No, Video Does Not Show Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo Waving a Palestinian Flag

This old video shows Moroccan footballer Jawad El Yamiq waving the Palestinian flag.

Fact-Check: Moroccan footballer Jawad El Yamiq was misidentified as Cristiano Ronaldo waving a Palestinian flag to show his support for the country.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A video showing a footballer holding up a Palestinian flag on the football ground is going viral on social media with a claim that it shows footballer Cristiano Ronaldo showing his support to the country.

The claim comes amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine.

An archive can be seen here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

But its not Ronaldo: The viral video shows Moroccan footballer Jawad El Yamiq and the visuals are from December 2022 taken during the FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022.

How did we find out the truth?: We came across a reply on the viral video which said that it shows Moroccan defender Jawad El Yamiq.

The post can be seen here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

• Taking a cue, we performed a relevant keyword search which led us to several reports shared by Cable News Network (CNN), The New York Times and The Indian Express.

• These reports from 7 December 2022 stated that after Morocco defeated Spain during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the team unfurled a Palestinian flag on the pitch.

• This was the second time the Morocco team waved a Palestinian flag.

• The first time being Morocco’s Jawad El Yamiq waving a Palestinian flag after his team qualified for the round of 16 on 1 December 2022.

Pictures of Yamiq with the Palestinian flag: We also found Yamiq's pictures on Getty Images waving the Palestinian flag.

• This is the same moment as seen in the viral video but in different angles.

Yamiq's picture can be seen here.

(Source: Getty Images/Screenshot)

Yamiq's picture can be seen here.

(Source: Getty Images/Screenshot)

• The caption of the images states that it shows Yamiq of Morocco celebrating Morocco team's qualification to the knockout stages during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on 1 December 2022.

• Here's a comparison between the viral video and the Getty Image for more clarity.

The video shows Yamiq and not Ronaldo.

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

Conclusion: Clearly, Moroccan footballer Jawad El Yamiq was misidentified as Cristiano Ronaldo waving a Palestinian flag to show his support for the country.

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