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France 24

World

Vedika BAHL

‘Messi is the enemy of Allah’: World Cup hoax falsely blames Algerian fans for chant

Allah Lionel Messi Algeria World Cup Argentina Abdel Fattah AlSisi Mohammed Morsi Austria Internet the 2026 World Cup

Cover image: © France 24

Lionel Messi is now the all-time top scorer in World Cup history, after scoring twice Monday against Austria in the 2026 World Cup. His first match, where he scored a hat-trick against Algeria, saw some online controversy. According to internet users, Algerian fans allegedly targeted him with an aggressive chant, calling Messi the "enemy of Allah" and threatening Argentina. But the audio is manipulated, and an old Arab protest chant against al-Sisi.

A viral video viewed millions of times online falsely claims to show Algerian football fans chanting against Lionel Messi ahead of Argentina and Algeria's opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Kansas City.

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