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Saudi coach, striker say no Rolls-Royces for beating Argentina
If Your Time is short
- The striker and coach for Saudi Arabia’s national soccer team said rumors that the players were gifted Rolls-Royces for beating Argentina in their first match aren’t true. Our review found no evidence to support the rumors.
Saudi Arabia’s recent win over Argentina has been called the biggest upset in World Cup history, but it wasn’t so big that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bought each player a Rolls-Royce, according to the team’s head coach and striker.
Still, rumors are spreading on social media.
"Saudi team gets $460K Rolls Royces for upset win," one Instagram post said. "Saudi Arabia’s players will each receive a Rolls Royce Phantom for their historic World Cup upset over Argentina, courtesy of Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman."
"Saudi prince announces each team member will receive a Rolls Royce for defeating Argentina in the World Cup," another Instagram post said.
These posts were flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Featured Fact-check
Saudi striker Saleh Al-Shehri laughed during a recent press conference when a reporter asked if it was true every player would be gifted a Rolls-Royce Phantom, which start around $460,000.
"It’s not true," Al-Shehri said. "We are here to serve our country and do the best. So that’s our biggest achievement."
Saudi coach Hervé Renard said, "It is not time to get something at this moment. We only won one game. We still have to get very important games, and we are hoping some more. There is nothing true about this comment."
We rate these claims False.
Our Sources
Instagram post, Nov. 25, 2022
Instagram post, Nov. 26, 2022
Tweet, Nov. 15, 2022
Tweet, Nov. 25, 2022
CBS, FIFA World Cup 2022: Saudi Arabia team denies rumors of Rolls-Royce Phantom for upsetting Argentina, Nov. 25, 2022
CNN, Saudi Arabia’s victory over Argentina is the greatest upset in World Cup history, says data company, Nov. 22, 2022
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Saudi coach, striker say no Rolls-Royces for beating Argentina
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