00:03Hello and welcome to The Cube, Euronews' fact-checking show.
00:07It's been a week since the World Cup ended, but misleading claims and conspiracies surrounding the tournament have continued in
00:14full force.
00:15The vast majority concerns Spain's victory over Argentina in the final,
00:20and the controversies that have cast a shadow over the South American side during and after the competition.
00:26One post that has racked up almost 4 million views alleges that global football governing body FIFA needed a European
00:33champion.
00:34It says that FIFA president Gianni Infantino made a deal with UEFA, Europe's football governing body,
00:40to ensure Spain won the World Cup in return for its support for Infantino's re-election in 2027.
00:47The video attached to the post contains no evidence to back up the allegations,
00:51and a community note at the bottom highlights that Argentina lost the final because it had zero shots on target
00:57during the match.
00:58Another claim circulating online alleges that FIFA forced Argentina to either lose the final or face a 10-year ban
01:06from the World Cup
01:07after players unfurled a banner with the message the Falkland Islands are Argentine following their victory over England in the
01:14semi-finals.
01:15However, there's no evidence that any such threat occurred.
01:19Reports state that FIFA is looking into the matter, but no official sanction has so far been announced.
01:25Article 34.3 of the World Cup's rules ban the display of political messages before, during and after any matches.
01:33Another conspiracy alleges that Argentina's players and their families were threatened before the World Cup final,
01:39using a clip showing captain Lionel Messi encouraging his teammates as evidence.
01:44But Argentina's manager Lionel Scaloni and some of the players' families have confirmed that no external pressure was applied on
01:52them.
