The Iranian state news agency, the Young Journalists Club (YJC), recently reported on a fictional reporter claiming that Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo has called Israelis “most hated” football fans and “murderers”, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE). published the story. /RS). ), reported on Monday.
YJC used falsified video footage of Ronaldo from previous years to create a fake news report broadcast on Iranian state television on June 15. The news agency later misnamed Ronaldo in a 2016 video: “The people I hate the most are Israeli football fans. I can’t stand them. I won’t exchange shirts with assassins.
This excerpt is completely different from Ronaldo’s original English commentary on the 2016 video clip in question, recorded by the British charity Save The Children.
“In the original English-language video, Ronaldo draws attention to the plight of Syrian children during that country’s brutal civil war,” Radio Liberty said on Monday.
In the original video from 2016, Ronaldo said in English: “This is for the children of Syria. We know you work hard. I’m a very famous actor. But you are the real hero. Don’t be discouraged. Peace be with you. We care about you. I’m with you.”
Radio Liberty detailed the additional fabrications included in the June 15 YJC report, writing:
The Iranian state television report incorrectly quoted Ronaldo’s use of the official terminology Tehran uses to refer to Israel.
“If I say once that I love the Jerusalem occupation regime, FIFA (the governing body of world football) will choose me the player of the year,” said Ronaldo. Jerusalem is the Arabic name for Palestine.
State television also featured footage of Ronaldo refusing to change to an Israeli football player after a match in 2016. However, the player in the image is Iceland national team captain Aron Gunnarsson.
In its June 15 report, YJC also included a photoshopped image of Ronaldo edited to appear as if he were holding a sign that reads “Everything is Palestine” in Spanish.
According to RFE/RL, a US government-funded broadcaster, “In the original photo, Ronaldo is holding a sign that says ‘Everything with Lorca’, referring to the 2011 earthquake near Lorca, Spain, that killed nine people”.
The Islamic government of Iran has refused to formally recognize Israel’s legitimacy as a sovereign Jewish state. Declaring Shiite Islam as the state religion, Iran publicly supports the Palestinian cause, even though the majority of Palestinian leaders are Sunni Muslims. The United States and other Western allied governments have accused Tehran of giving more support to terrorist groups targeting Israel, such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The US has designated Iran’s official military wing, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), as a foreign terrorist organization.
Source: Breitbart
