FACT CHECK: Did Ivory Coast goalkeeper wear charm at AFCON final?

Social media is buzzing with a video insinuating that the goalkeeper of Ivory Coast, Yahia Fofana, wore charm at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) final against Nigeria.

Ivory Coast emerged victorious on Sunday against Nigeria defeating the Super Eagles 2-1.

The video showed a goalkeeper with jersey number I6 and Name tag “ASC JARRAF”. The goal keeper had a black object strapped to his waist with a white rope.

Many Nigerians have reacted to the video on Twitter.

In fact, a former senator and activist, Shehu Sani, in a post on his X handle (Formerly Twitter), urged the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to investigate the allegation of usage of “juju” (charm) by the goalkeeper of the Ivory Coast.

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“FIFA should investigate the alleged use of Juju by the Ivory Coast Goalkeeper as circulated in the images and take measures. If FIFA failed to do so, next time we should go with the crew of our native Doctors,” the Senator wrote on social media.

Verdict: False

Verification:

Checks by Daily Trust showed that the player whose image is circulating with a charm tied to his back is not the Ivory Coast goalkeeper.

This is corroborated by the lineup for the AFCON final which revealed that the goalkeeper for Ivory Coast was Yalia Fofana and not the goalie in the viral video.

Yahia Fofana (born 21 August 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ligue 2 club Angers. He was born in France, but he plays for the Ivory Coast national team.

On 30 May 2022, Fofana signed a four-year contract with Ligue 1 side Angers, joining the club upon the expiration of his Le Havre contract

He was in the limelight during Ivory Coast match with Senegal when he saved two penalties to send his team to the quarter final.

Conclusion

Verification by Daily Trust has proved that the goalkeeper whose video is currently circulating on social media is not Yahia Fofana. However, checks by Daily Trust showed that the inscription on the jersey which shows ACF JARAAF (Association Sportive et Culturelle Jaraaf) is a Senegalese professional football club based in Dakar. They play in the top division in Senegalese football. Their home stadium is Stade de Diaraf in Dakar, Senegal.

This Fact Check is produced in partnership with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD)