In the past day, we saw more and more news flashes discuss a poster 'produced by ISIS' with imprisoned Lionel Messi on the cover, while blood is pouring from his eyes.
As expected, western media embraced the story immediately, indicating that "ISIS is threatening Messi & targets the Word Cup", and the story went viral worldwide. This item's source was an un-reliable website that identifies as Site Intelligence Group & 'Jihadist News'. Its agenda seems to be a recruitment platform for Jihadist movements that target Western audiences.
While in Arabic there were only a few small stories about it (the first to publish was 365Scores Arabic account), in western media the party has just begun. Together with the two terror attacks in Saint Petersburg & Paris (at a France versus Germany match), it created a twisted picture about the real threat on the forthcoming World Cup - that by ISIS public expressions is viewed as a 'Western Festival' and as 'danger to humanity'.
Whether this story is true or false, it is irrelevant in today's news world, especially the sports news world, these kinds of headlines bring the clicks and the leads. This is a clear example of the clash of civilizations between East & West, Islam & Western world, reflecting in a bizarre story in a half-reliable source.
With the slight chance to have the most 'Arab' World Cup ever in Russia - with Egypt, Saudi Arabia already qualified and potentially Morocco & Tunisia will qualify in November - it looks like we will hear this kind of 'fake news' again and again, as the closer we will get to the opening ceremony in Moscow at June 14th, 2018. Having in mind the number of fans that will arrive to support the Arab national teams in the tournament, be sure these stories will come back again and again until the summer.