Did Romanian football fans really start chanting 'Putin' at Euro 2024? Probably not
Social media users have been circulating a video posted on June 17, claiming that it shows Romanian football fans chanting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s name during the Euro 2024 football match between Romania and Ukraine. However, when we took a closer look, we found inconsistencies in the footage’s sound and images that led us to conclude it had been digitally altered. Moreover, the UEFA officials present at the game said that they didn’t hear any pro-Putin chanting.
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During the football match between Romania and Ukraine in the 2024 UEFA European Football championships on June 17, Romanian football fans were apparently chanting the name of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s name – at least that’s what a video posted on social media is purported to show.
The chant in the video actually sounds strikingly similar to an anti-Putin chant common with Ukrainian football fans, making it likely that someone took that chant, edited it and added the audio to the video.
For its part, UEFA – the Union of European Football Associations – says that the video was doctored. UEFA also confirmed that its officials, present at the game, didn’t hear anyone chanting Putin’s name.
The fact-check, in detail
Social media users have been widely sharing a video published on June 17, which has since garnered more than 1.8 million views on X and many shares on Facebook, that they say shows Romanian football fans chanting the name of Vladimir Putin to taunt their opponents during a match between Romania and Ukraine at the 2024 UEFA European Football championships (Euro 2024).
Why the audio was likely digitally altered
