An image of Argentinian football player Lionel Messi surrounded by police is widely shared on social media, claiming that he has been arrested by the Qatar police in Doha.
The image is shared on Facebook with a caption: “BREAKING: Qatar Police has arrested Argentinian footballer Leo Messi in Doha for sexual harassment”
Here’s the link to the above post.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim, and found it to be FALSE.
There was no credible media report corroborating the viral claim. Had Messi been arrested, mainstream media would have definitely covered it.
Doing a Reverse Image Search, we found Getty Images having the same image, dated November 12, 2012, with the text: “A picture taken on November 12, 2012, shows Argentina’s forward Lionel Messi (R) being escorted by Saudi security personnel upon his arrival with his team in the Saudi capital Riyadh.”
We found similar images uploaded on Alamy on November 12, 2012, with the same description.
According to a report by Metro News, dated November 13, 2012, Argentina’s soccer team travelled to Saudi Arabia for a friendly game. Messi was escorted by security officers to the airport. Messi looked stunned when one of the security guard’s weapons was pointed in his direction. Messi ultimately managed to pass through the airport unhurt.
Thus, it is clear that the viral image of Messi is being shared with false claims.
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