An AI-generated image began circulating online after Italy beat Israel 4-1 in a Nations League game.
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00:00Fake image of pro-Israeli banner at Italian football match goes viral.
00:10Italy faced off against Israel in the Nations League in Udine on 14 October, in a football
00:15match that sparked security concerns due to the conflict in the Middle East.
00:19After the game, which saw Italy win 4-1, an AI-generated image began circulating online,
00:25supposedly showing Italian fans holding a large banner in solidarity with Israel.
00:30The banner says, �Let�s remember the hostages� or �We remember the hostages� in Italian.
00:34Underneath it, you can see a combined Italian-Israeli flag.
00:38The post has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times and has spread in other languages
00:42too.
00:43However, there are several clues which show that the image has been AI-generated.
00:47Some of the players on the pitch look oddly distorted, and the tech scene in the stands
00:51is completely illegible.
00:53The stadium depicted in the image also looks noticeably different to the real-life stadium.
00:57The players are also shown wearing black and white, whereas in the real match, the Italian
01:02team wore a blue kit.
01:07Although there was no pro-Israeli banner flying in the Italian stands, the shadow of the war
01:12in the Middle East did loom over the game.
01:14It was the first match that Israel played outside of Hungary this year.
01:18Belgium refused to host a game against Israel due to security concerns.
01:22Indeed, security was on high alert in Udine, stationing snipers on the roof of the stadium.
01:28Around 1,000 people took part in a pro-Palestine demonstration in the city before the match
01:33began, with some calling for football authorities to ban Israel from the international tournament.
01:39Some fans in Udine booed the Israeli national anthem, while others tried to drown them out
01:43with applause.
01:44For more fact-checks, take a look at Euronews.com