The FIFA 2022 Round 16 match between Brazil & South Korea, held on 5th December, was announced as the final game of the much talked about Stadium 974. After this match, a photo collection was viral on social media claiming to be scenes of stadium 974 being dismantled.
However, Factcrescendo Team found these images to be captured during the construction phase of Stadium 974. Let’s look at the claim in detail
Social Media Posts
Social media posts based on some photos claimed that the temporary stadium was being removed, as seen below.
Since the announcement of the stadium 974 to be removed was already shared over many mainstream media as well, many users thought these images to be recent.
These posts were viral on Facebook.
We decided to do a fact-check on it.
Fact Check
In 2010, Qatar won the privilege to hold the FIFA World Cup 2022, winning a vote of FIFA’s 22 executive members and defeating bids from the United States, South Korea, Japan and Australia, becoming the first soccer World Cup to be held in the Middle East.
STADIUM 974 is one of the eight stadiums where World Cup matches were held in Qatar.
We first checked international media streams and didn’t come across any reports of Stadium 974 being dismantled.
Also, we did a reverse image search on the image used in the viral posts. We found that the pictures were taken during the construction of Stadium 974 in Ras Abu Aboud, Qatar.
The Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, a moveable stadium, a first in World Cup history, is expected to be decommissioned entirely after 2022 and will set a new standard of sustainability and legacy for the tournament, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), which oversees the Qatar 2022 World Cup, said. The above photos were also seen in the collection of images shown at the time of its construction, as seen below.
Since this Twitter message was posted in October this year, it confirms that the photos showing the removal of STADIUM 974 were photos taken during its construction. More pictures published before the final round of 16 match between Brazil & South Korea at STADIUM 974 can be seen here and here.
A journalist who visited Stadium 974 on December 15th gave a clear view of the stadium and its current status, clearly showing that it had not yet been decommissioned.
Furthermore, a fashion show was held at STADIUM 974 on 16th December, as seen below. However, some media reports had mentioned that this was the final event at the stadium.
Stadium 974
In 2017, the design of this stadium was created by the designer Fenwick Iribarren. Also, the name Stadium 974 has been used for this stadium because the telephone code of Qatar is 974, and 974 containers were used to create this stadium.
Construction started around October 2017 and was completed around November 2021. Forty-four thousand eighty-nine spectators can be quickly seated in this stadium, and it is seen that facilities have been provided for this as well as other stadiums. The first football match in this stadium is reported to be between the United Arab Emirates and Syria, held on November 30, 2021.
The stadium is temporary and can be dismantled and removed—more information on this is here, here and here.
However, we have found that the photos circulated on social media were taken at the time of construction of the stadium, and no steps have been taken to remove Stadium 974.
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Conclusion
Our investigation shows that the photographs circulating on social media referring to the scenes of Stadium 974 being dismantled are misleading. Even though it was earlier announced that Stadium 974 would be decommissioned after the FIFA World Cup Round 16 game, the demolition process has yet to start and even held a fashion show on 16th December. The viral photos actually portray scenes of the construction of Stadium 974.
Title:These Are NOT images of Stadium 974 being Dismantled! Find Out the Facts
Fact Check By: Kalana KrishanthaResult: Misleading
