Conspiracy theories abound after Spain-Argentina World Cup final
It's been a week since the World Cup ended, but misleading claims and conspiracies surrounding the tournament have continued in full force.
The vast majority concern Spain's victory over Argentina in the final, in which La Roja won 1-0, and the controversies that have cast a shadow over the South American side during and after the competition.
One post that has racked up almost 4 million views alleges that global football governing body FIFA "needed a European champion".
It says that FIFA President Gianni Infantino made a deal with UEFA, Europe's football governing body, to ensure Spain won the World Cup in return for its support for his re-election in 2027.
Another claim circulating online alleges that FIFA forced Argentina to either lose the final or face a 10-year ban from the World Cup, after players unfurled a banner with the message "The Falkland Islands are Argentine" following their victory over England in the semi-finals.
Another conspiracy alleges that Argentina's players and their families were threatened before the World Cup final, using a clip showing captain Lionel Messi encouraging his teammates before the game as evidence.
"Let's stay calm," Messi says in the video. "Let's forget about everything, let's just think about playing."
Social media users allege that this shows he was trying to calm his teammates down after they were threatened and told to fix the match.
It's been a week since the World Cup ended, but misleading claims and conspiracies surrounding the tournament have continued in full force.
The vast majority concern Spain's victory over Argentina in the final, in which La Roja won 1-0, and the controversies that have cast a shadow over the South American side during and after the competition.
One post that has racked up almost 4 million views alleges that global football governing body FIFA "needed a European champion".
It says that FIFA President Gianni Infantino made a deal with UEFA, Europe's football governing body, to ensure Spain won the World Cup in return for its support for his re-election in 2027.
Another claim circulating online alleges that FIFA forced Argentina to either lose the final or face a 10-year ban from the World Cup, after players unfurled a banner with the message "The Falkland Islands are Argentine" following their victory over England in the semi-finals.
Another conspiracy alleges that Argentina's players and their families were threatened before the World Cup final, using a clip showing captain Lionel Messi encouraging his teammates before the game as evidence.
"Let's stay calm," Messi says in the video. "Let's forget about everything, let's just think about playing."
Social media users allege that this shows he was trying to calm his teammates down after they were threatened and told to fix the match.
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
