False: It is a false post that uses a screenshot of an alleged news from Globo’s GE (Globo Esporte) portal, stating that Puma increased the sponsorship of the player Neymar Jr. after he posted a video in support of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), candidate for reelection. The GE denied having published such a report and, in contact with Comprova, the footballer’s advice said “it has nothing to declare about such absurdity”. In addition, there are no publications on any other news site reflecting the alleged increase given by Puma to the contract with Neymar.
Investigated Content: Posts on Twitter and Facebook reproduce an image of what would be a news item from Globo’s GE portal, stating that the sporting goods brand Puma increased the sponsorship of soccer player Neymar Jr. after he published a post that became a “hit”. One of the publications uses an image of the tweet in which the player announces support to President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in the presidential election.
where it was published: Twitter and Facebook.
Completion of Proof: It’s a fake post with an image that would be a screenshot of a news from Globo’s GE portal, with the title “Puma increases Neymar sponsorship after hit on TikTok”. In one of the publications there is a caption in which the author says: “The rotten media is trying to cancel Neymar and damage the contract with Puma. But Puma loved the visibility. Great goal! #VaiSerNoPrumeiroTurno” (sic) referring to the video posted by player on TikTok on September 29, in which he declares support for President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in the presidential election.
Another viral post does not use the image with the fake news from GE, but states that “Neymar signed the most expensive individual sponsorship contract in the sport ($30 million/year). Puma increased the sponsorship of the Brazilian after his hit on Tiktok”.
The image of the “news” analyzed here has a layout similar to that used by publications on the GE portal. However, when searching for title of the supposed news on Google there is no return for any content posted on any site with this content.
Sought by Comprova, the communication team of the sports news site stated that “this article does not exist in GE”. Neymar’s press office declined to comment, saying only “I have nothing to say about such nonsense”.
Falsefor Comprova, is all content invented or that has undergone edits to change its original meaning and deliberately disclosed to spread a falsehood.
Scope of publication: As of October 2, the post on Twitter had 6,538 shares and more than 38,900 likes. Another tweet, which reproduced the content of the alleged news, totaled 442 shares and 8,089 likes. On Facebook, the publication had 1,000 likes, 243 shares and 103 comments.
What the author of the publication says: Comprova sent a private message to one of the Facebook profiles that shared the screenshot with the fake headline, but there was no response until the verification was published. The Twitter profile “@genioneymarjr1”, which in its post did not use the print of the fake news, said that it used as a source for the publication another Twitter post, made in English. This post, however, does not mention any raises granted by Puma to Neymar. In free translation, the tweet, made by user “@slashviolence”, simply reads: “I’m curious if @PUMA, who signed @neymarjr to the most expensive individual sponsorship deal in sport’ ($30 million/year), feels comfortable having his brand on display as he declares support for a racist, homophobic campaign by a far-right presidential candidate in Brazil.” The Twitter profile that responded to Comprova also cited the print of the alleged GE article on the subject as a source for the publication, and said that the site would have deleted the content after publishing it.
How do we check: The first step was to do a search on the GE website with the title that appears in the fake posts. The research did not bring any results and, therefore, the report spoke to the communication area of the vehicle via WhatsApp message.
Also through the app, he contacted the player’s press office. By email, he tried to reach Puma, but received an automated response saying the team won’t return to work until October 3.
GE site did not publish the content and reporter does not exist
The layout of the headline with the news analyzed here is similar to that of the publications of the G1 It’s from GE. When searching for content in GE based on the keywords “Neymar” or “Puma”, however, there is no news with a content similar to the statement made in the post.
By contacting Comprova, the GE’s press office said the content is false and that “the article does not exist on the site”. In addition, the consultancy said that there is no reporter by the name of Fernando Mendes in the sports editorial team, as shown in the image. When searching for the name of the reporter (“Fernando Mendes”) on Google, there is also no return for any content published on GE with this subscription.
In addition, there are other elements that indicate that the image was not taken from a news item published on the site. In the GE publications, right after the reporter’s name is signed, there is an indication of the city and/or country where the content was written, which does not happen in the print of the news verified here.
Next to the signature of the articles published in the GE, there are also the icons of the social networks Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp for sharing the material. At the fake news print of increased sponsorship given to Neymar are the logo of two more social networks: LinkedIn and Pinterest, another indication that the content verified here is not true.
the sponsorship
O Neymar and Puma deal announced by the player on September 12, 2020. In a one minute video on twitterNeymar, already in the French team Paris Saint-Germain, said he wanted “the [chuteira] King reigns on the field again and inspires generations.” As of October 2, the post had 152,200 likes and over 18,100 shares.
At the time, Veja magazine reported that “the player’s remuneration would reach 25 million euros per year”, a value higher than those received by Cristiano Ronaldo with Nike and Lionel Messi with Adidas. According to the magazine, Puma’s sponsorship of Neymar would be the largest individual sports sponsorship deal in football history. The information was also passed on by the ESPN channel website.
The contract began shortly after Nike break up with Neymar, in August of that year, ending a partnership that had started even before he became a professional player for Santos. According to UOL, the reason was the lack of agreement on values of a renovation.
why do we investigate: Comprova investigates suspicious content that goes viral on social media about elections, public policies and the pandemic. The suspicious content verified concerns an alleged consequence after the disclosure of political support from a public figure, in this case the football player Neymar Jr, to the presidential candidate, Jair Bolsonaro. The fake content also involves one of the biggest sporting goods brands in the world.
Other checks on the topic: Other false or misleading posts involving news from personalities who support Jair Bolsonaro have already been made by Comprova. The project recently demonstrated that a speech in support of the president was made by an Argentine journalist, not an ambassadorand that a video showed a pastor in a meeting with Bolsonaro, not the president of South Korea.
This weekend, the Comprova team joined 6 other fact-checking initiatives in Brazil to jointly verify election misinformation. The partnership brings together AFP, Aos Fatos, Boatos.org, Comprova, E-Farsas, Fato ou Fake and Lupa.
Investigated by: Folha de S.Paulo, Piauí, SBT, Estado de S.Paulo and Uol; Verified by: A Gazeta, Imirante.com, Correio do Estado, O Povo, Correio Braziliense, SBT News and O Popular
Source: CNN Brasil
