00:03The World Cup quarterfinals are underway, and as the pressure for each team ramps up, so too has the misinformation
00:10targeting the tournament.
00:12AI-generated images, false claims and fake news reports have all sprung up online over the past couple of weeks,
00:19many with racist overtones aimed at European teams that have already been knocked out of the competition.
00:25For example, this video on TikTok allegedly shows the Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman go on a racist run after Morocco
00:32knocked his team out on penalties on 30 June.
00:35It amassed more than 3 million views and tens of thousands of shares and likes,
00:40but it was posted by an account that clearly labels itself as an AI football account.
00:44The video itself also contains a tag saying that it was artificially generated.
00:49Elsewhere, Post emerged online claiming that German fans have started a petition to ban African and Muslim players from their
00:56national team
00:57after Germany was knocked out by Paraguay on 29 June, also in a penalty shootout.
01:03The Post cite German news outlet Deutsche Welle as the source of the story and take particular aim at Jonathan
01:08Tarr,
01:09the centre-back who missed his penalty to send Germany out of the cup.
01:12But there's no evidence of this petition anywhere by any reputable news outlets.
01:17And there is no mention of it anywhere on Deutsche Welle's platforms.
01:21That being said, stories of racism at the World Cup are a very real phenomenon.
01:26Perhaps one of the most talked about incidents emerging on social media is the spat between French football star Kylian
01:32Mbappé
01:33and Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla.
01:36She falsely claimed that he was a colonised Cameroonian trying to pass himself off as French.
01:41Mbappé hit back that Amarilla was a despicable woman who did not represent Paraguay.
01:46Indeed, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself posted on X that it rejected Amarilla's statements.
01:52French prosecutors are now investigating the matter.
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