Video shows protesters outside electricity company in Cameroon, not fans attacking footballer’s home

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Breel Embolo’s participation in the Qatar World Cup for his adopted Switzerland has spurned false claims in his native Cameroon, especially after his team beat the Africans. Social media accounts claimed a video showed a crowd attacking Embolo’s family house in Yaoundé after he scored the lone goal that earned Switzerland the win. But the claim is false: AFP Fact Check found that the crowd was protesting a power cut in front of the electricity office in the Cameroonian city of Bertoua.

“Angry youths of Cameroon attacks the family home of Embolo of Switzerland who scores against Cameroon his birth nation in 1:0 match (sic),” reads a post published on November 24, 2022, by a Zambian account.

A screenshot of the false Facebook post, taken on November 30, 2022

The post, which has been viewed more than 40,000 times, features a video of a crowd in front of a gated building with a fence painted in white, blue, and chartreuse. The letters "eneo" can be seen written on a small wooden counter.

The same video with similar captions was shared by other Facebook accounts in Nigeria (including here and here) and The Gambia.

Yaoundé-born Embolo, who plays as a forward for French top-flight team Monaco, started his professional career in Switzerland after moving there with his mother. His father stilllives in Cameroon, according to a media report. He made his senior debut for his adopted country on March 31, 2015, in a friendly against the United States four appearances for the Swiss U-16 team.

He scored the only goal that earned Switzerland the win over Cameroon on November 24, 2022.

But the claim that fans attacked Embolo’s family home is false.

Protest against power outage

Using the video verification tool InVID WeVerify, AFP Fact Check conducted reverse searches on keyframes from the video and found that a Cameroonian Facebook account published it on November 24, 2022.

The post explained in French that the video showed people "attacking" the office of electricity provider Eneo in Bertoua in eastern Cameroon. It said people were angry over a power outage during the Cameroon-Switzerland World Cup game.

It published another clip on the same day, detailing how the outage frustrated those who were watching the match.

A screenshot shows ‘eneo’ written on a counter at the scene of the protest, taken on November 30, 2022

A keyword search for the phrase "eneo" shows it is one of the main electricity companies in Cameroon. The branding on the company’s website andsocial media matches the white, blue, and chartreuse colours of the fence where the protest took place.

The company confirmed to AFP Fact Check that the footage showed angry consumers who besieged its office in Bertoua following a power cut during the Cameroon match against Switzerland.

Eneo said the outage lasted 20 minutes before the power supply was restored to the city. Prolonged power cuts are not uncommon in Cameroon. A news outlet reported that outages could persist for weeks.

Another keyword search for "Eneo office in Bertoua" on Google Maps led to aphoto that shows a building behind a fence with the same features as the structure seen in the clip.

Screenshots show similarities between the Eneo office in Bertoua, left, and the building in the viral video, taken November 30, 2022.

A Cameroonian police source told AFP Fact Check there had been no protest in front of Embolo’s family house.

“The family of Breel Embolo has never been worried or threatened,” the source said, adding that “the police briefly visited the neighbourhood where his family lives on Thursday, but their visit had nothing to do with the World Cup match”.

Around three hours after the game ended, an AFP journalist also visited the neighbourhood where Embolo was born in Yaoundé and did not notice any sign of protest. Neighbours said there had been no unrest in the area.

A French debunk about this claim can be foundhere.

Other casualties

Footballers have previously been the target of attacks in Cameroon.

In October 2005, the family home of former Cameroonian international Pierre Wome was attacked after he missed a crucial penalty that would have earned the African nation a spot at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Wome’s car and his girlfriend’s beauty salon were also vandalised.

Similar harsh treatment was meted out in November to Gaelle Enganamouit, who played for the women’s national team. Enganamouit missed a crucial spot kick against arch-rival Nigeria in the semifinals of the African Women’s Cup of Nations in Ghana.

A win over Nigeria would have earned Cameroon an automatic spot at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.

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