AN image of a Liverpool striker, Mohamed Salah, with a young Liverpool fan has circulated on X alongside a claim that Salah beat up the fan and took the photo with him thereafter.
The photo was posted by Troll Football on X (formerly Twitter) on February 23, 2024.
In the photo, the fan in question was seen with blood flowing down from his nostrils.
The post has garnered over 18.7 million views, with more than 175,000 likes and over 2,300 comments and has been reposted over 8,000 times as of February 28, 2024.
When one of the commenters asked if it was true, the claimant said it was and also claimed that he was the cameraman who took the photo.
Also, another X user asked why Salah beat the fan and Troll Football replied that, “The boy said Mane is better than him.”
To establish the accuracy of the post, this researcher from the UDUS Fact-check Club, Dauda Musbau, opts to verify the claim.
CLAIM
Image shows Salah with a fan he beats up.
THE FINDINGS
Checks show that the claim is MISLEADING!
When the image was subjected to a Reverse Image search, the results show that the image has been on the internet since 2019.
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The young Liverpool fan in the photo was identified as Louis Fowler.
UK’s The Standard newspaper reported on August 11, 2019, that the eleven-year-old Louis Fowler ran into a lamp-post and knocked himself unconscious while trying to keep up with Salah’s car as he left Liverpool Football Club’s Melwood training ground.
It added that Salah turned his Bentley round and came back to check if the boy was okay.
“Tearful young Louis posed for a picture with Salah with a bloodied nose which was later re-set at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital where he shared his story with staff and patients,” the report stated.
It was also reported in 2019 by multiple credible media platforms including The Telegraph and Mail Online. It was also seen here on a Facebook page.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Salah beats up a fan is MISLEADING; media reports show that Liverpool star Mo Salah stopped to help a young fan who broke his nose while excitedly running after his car.
This report is republished from the FactCheckHub