Clips edited and shared as Spanish football fans supporting Palestine

By: Ishita Goel
December 1 2023

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What is the claim?

A viral video on social media of a stadium with fans holding red flares and torches, waving different flags, and singing in Spanish is being shared online. Accompanying claims state that it shows a football stadium in Spain and that the match-goers are singing in support of Palestine. The inlaid text in Arabic reads, "A wonderful scene of the solidarity of the Spanish people for the cause in the stadium" and "We don't want to see a football game; we want to go to Palestine." 

X (formerly Twitter) (archived here) and Facebook (archived here) users shared the video with captions that said, "*Spain*_ In the football stadium, everyone shouted with one voice; We don't want to watch football, but we want to go and help Palestine !" Other links to the archived posts are here, here, and here. 

Screenshots of the viral posts on X. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

What are the facts?

We found the video comprises two clips of different football matches, the first lasting from 0:00 to 0:37 and the second, after an obvious transition, from 0:38 to 0:45.

Through a reverse image search, we found a longer version of the same video on TikTok dated November 7, 2023, posted with the caption "Raja Casablanca." Raja Casablanca is a commonly used name for the Raja Club Athletic Beausejour football club based in Casablanca, Morocco. Using this information, we found a fan page of Raja Casablanca, which posted the same video on TikTok on November 2 with the description "Somos Curva Sud." Somos Curva Sud is a song by La Voce Della Magana. 

 Video found on TikTok. (Source: TikTok/ScreenshotsModified by Logically Facts)

What does the song say?

CMF Radio (Call Me Fred Radio), a London-based radio explains that "The lyrics are about a group of fans supporting their soccer team (referred to as "champion" and "player"), specifically the group known as "Curva Sud." Similarly, another music website, Genius, writes that the song of the Curva Sud Casablanca has become a "true symbol of unity and solidarity among football supporters around the world." 

We compared the Spanish lyrics from the viral clip to the original song posted by La Voce Della Magana on YouTube and matched the words from the 1:32 mark to the viral clip. Further, we translated the lyrics into English and found no mention of any support for Palestine. The lyrics say, "It's a crazy life," carry words of encouragement like "come on," and mention the drugs marijuana and cocaine.

The first clip

Using the keywords "Somos Curva Sud" and "Raja Casablanca," we came across an Instagram account called "Somos Curva Sud," a page dedicated to the club, which shared the same video on July 10 with a different song being sung by the audience. When comparing this footage to that seen in the viral video, the flags are in the same order, and there is a banner that reads "Green Boys." The stadium's structure is the same, and a group of policemen can be seen in front of the stands.

Comparison of an image from Instagram to the viral clip. (Source: Instagram/YouTube/ScreenshotsModified by Logically Facts)

Using the date of the video, we found that Raja Casablanca played Wydad AC in the semi-final of the Moroccan Throne Cup on July 9, 2023, at the Mohammed V Sports Complex in Casablanca. We compared the stadium in the viral clip to photos of the Mohammed V Sports Complex and confirmed that the match was held in Morocco and not in Spain, as claimed.

Comparison of an image from the website to the viral clip. (Source: Website/YouTube/ScreenshotsModified by Logically Facts)

We found several videos uploaded by the same account between July 9 and July 10 that captured the scoreboard in the stadium, which showed the score WAC 0 and RAC 1 with the timer reading 90 minutes, the result of the semi-final. This further suggested that the viral footage was from the July 9 game.

Further, we found that a YouTube page, O Show das Torcidas, posted a video of the Wydad vs Raja Casablanca semi-final on July 10, 2023. At 2:13, we can see a group of 4-5 policemen directly in front of the stands, near a yellow railing, as seen in the viral video. Various other features of the crowd also match the viral video. The description read that the stadium was filled with Wydad and Raja Casablanca fans. Here, the song sung by the audience is the same as the video uploaded to the Instagram page, suggesting that the audio of the viral video has been altered to overlay the "Somos Curva Sud' song.

The first clip is from July and, therefore, predates and is unrelated to the Israel-Hamas conflict. No reports suggest any chants or songs supporting Palestine featured at this match.

Comparison of an image from YouTube to the viral clip. (Source: X/YouTube/ScreenshotsModified by Logically Facts)

The second clip

As the viral clip carried blurry and brief visuals for the second clip, we used the longer TikTok video to trace the game. We found the second clip is from a Raja Casablanca match against Moghreb Atletico Tetouan Club, held on October 8, 2023. 

We found a YouTube page, "zemama35," posted a video on October 9, 2023, showing a part of the Raja Casablanca vs. Moghreb Athletic de Tétouan match. At 2:00, we can see the exact text in Arabic on the perimeter strip, the yellow stand, and some people cheering. Further, we matched the crowd on the ground, including police and staff, an attendee waving his arms and celebrating, and another attendee recording a video on their phone that was seen in the viral clip. 

Comparison of a screenshot from YouTube to the viral clip. (Source: X/YouTube/ScreenshotsModified by Logically Facts)

Similarly, the account ZAMANEPRESSE posted a YouTube video on October 9, 2023, with an angle that matched a frame of the viral video. At the 0:44 mark of this YouTube video, we can match the words in Arabic, and the yellow stands to 0:41 in the viral clip.

The song the crowd sang in both videos differed from the viral video. 

A report by Middle East Eye dated October 10 said that during the match, fans of Raja Casablanca cheered and raised flags in support of Palestine. A part of the audience also sang a song in support of Palestine.

We found that the match seen in the second clip was also held at the Mohammed V stadium in Morocco, and although a pro-Palestine song was featured at a point, the viral clip doesn't show that part. 

The verdict

Analyzing the viral video, we found that two clips from two football matches have been edited with overlaid audio. However, neither game was held in Spain, nor did they show Spanish football fans. The overlaid song also does not refer to Palestine. Therefore, we have marked this claim false.