Soumadip Dey

Claim: A video has been doing the rounds on social media, which claims that unhappy Brazilian fans attacked their national football team when they returned from the World Cup empty handed.

What Happened: A video has been widely circulated on social media claiming that Brazilians expressed their disapproval of the unsuccessful efforts of their football team at the recently concluded FIFA World Cup by pelting their bus with stones and eggs.

The posts show a small mob of people throwing stones, eggs, and other small objects at a bright green bus. While one person in the video is wearing a Brazil jersey, another woman is seen with a Brazilian Flag.

The video has been shared extensively on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, with a more-or-less identical narrative. Some of the posts have been watched over a million views and received thousands of shares.

The video and narrative was also published by certain major national and regional news portals, including TimesNow, India Today, and Eenaduindia.

Facts: The video and the narrative that fans attacked Brazilian team when they returned to their country is in fact false. The video that was shared with this narrative is in reality a video of a political protest that took place in Brazil and was first uploaded on Facebook four months ago, on the 27th of March 2018, well before the World Cup started. The video was uploaded with a description in Portuguese that translates as: 'Protesters attack the wrong bus in Paraná with eggs. The bus from Catarinense was attacked during a protest along the banks of BR-277, in São Miguel do Iguaçu. The PRF confirmed that the bus was destined for Foz do Iguaçu and was not part of the Lula Caravan. Those responsible for the vehicle are at the post registering an Occurrence Bulletin against the demonstrators.'

Conclusion: The Brazilian team was in fact welcomed home after their World Cup exit with much fanfare and celebration. In fact, according to media reports, the team got a lot of sympathetic support from its fans. The social media narrative that went viral was a fabricated attempt at eyeball-grabbing, and nothing more.