Sanjeeb Phuyal is the Nepali Editor of Newschecker based in Kathmandu, Nepal. He brings over a decade of experience writing and editing news. In his previous stint, he worked as online editor for The Kathmandu Post. With the growth of social media platforms—and the ever-growing competition amongst media outlets to churn out breaking news, he feels that fact-checking every piece of information has become essential today than ever before.
Claim: Nepali Cricket Fans Chanted pro-Oli slogan during recent cricket match against UAE at TU Stadium
Fact: Video is edited by laying an old audio on top
A video of Nepali cricket fans allegedly chanting slogans in support of Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) leader KP Sharma Oli while watching a cricket match is going viral on TikTok. Newschecker found the video to be edited by laying a false audio clip on top.
TikTok user @pradipbhattarai_ posted a video showing a huge crowd of cricket fans watching a cricket match. Text superimposed on the video reads, “This is how the mass chanted in support of statesman Oli [KP Sharma Oli] in the stadium.” In the background of the video, the mass is heard chanting, “KP Oli, I Love You. I Love You, I Love You. KP Oli, I Love You. I Love You, I Love You. It is not just for today, let Oli rule for 10 years.” The archived link to the TikTok video can be seen here.
The video posted on March 16 has garnered 28.9k likes, 1458 users have commented on it and 503 people have shared the content.
Unprecedented supporters cheer Nepali team in their ODI against UAE
The Tribhuvan University International Cricket Stadium in Kirtipur, Kathmandu was well over capacity on Thursday (March 16) to watch the Cricket World Cup League 2 match between the UAE and Nepal. Nepal defeated the UAE by nine runs via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method with a dramatic turnaround, securing a berth in the 2023 World Cup Qualifier.
Notably, Nepal were awarded the ODI status for the first time on March 15, 2018, after clinching the first playoff game against Papua New Guinea in the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier.
Fact Check /Verification
To check the authenticity of the claim made in the viral video, Newschecker began by looking up videos of recent cricket matches between Nepal and UAE by using relevant keywords.
On conducting a search on YouTube by using the key phrase ‘Nepali crowd watching cricket at Tribhuvan University Ground,’ we found a short video whose frame exactly matched the viral video. The video titled ‘Crowds in Kirtipur Cricket Stadium || #Nepal 🇳🇵 vs #UAE 🇦🇪 || Victory ✌ time’ was posted on March 16 on the YouTube Channel named H.S. Creation. However, the crowd was not heard chanting pro-Oli slogans.
Then we checked the original audio feature of the TikTok video and found that the audio clip was first used by a TikTok video on February 4, 2021. On checking the video, we noticed the cadres of CPN-UML chanting the slogan. This pointed us to a mass demonstration organised by CPN-UML cadres to express solidarity with Oli’s decision to dissolve the House of Representatives while the decision had drawn flak from several quarters back in 2021.
Further, we conducted a search on YouTube by using Nepali keyword ‘KP Oli I Love You’ and found a video whose audio exactly matched the viral video. The video was published on the YouTube channel of Setopati.com online on February 4, 2021. We also found that the video frame somewhat matched the TikTok video carrying the original audio.
In February 2021, supporters of CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli had been organising mass demonstrations in different parts of the country to express solidarity with his decision to dissolve the parliament and announce fresh elections.
Our findings clearly indicated that the video of a huge crowd watching a cricket match between Nepal and UAE was edited by using an old audio.
Conclusion
No, the cricket fans watching the match between Nepal and UAE on Thursday didn’t chant pro-Oli slogans and that the footage was edited with a false audio laid on top.
Result: Edited
Setopati.com /YouTube , 4 February, 2021
H.S. Creation /YouTube , 16 March, 2023
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Sanjeeb Phuyal is the Nepali Editor of Newschecker based in Kathmandu, Nepal. He brings over a decade of experience writing and editing news. In his previous stint, he worked as online editor for The Kathmandu Post. With the growth of social media platforms—and the ever-growing competition amongst media outlets to churn out breaking news, he feels that fact-checking every piece of information has become essential today than ever before.
