Social Media Misleads with Old Video of Jordanian Fans Chanting Saddam Hussein’s Name

A video circulating on social media claims to show Jordanian fans chanting the name of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein during a recent match between the Kuwaiti national team and its Jordanian counterparts in Amman. However, the video is actually from a match between the two teams in 2019.

The posts include a video of fans cheering in the stadium stands at night, with the attached comment reading, “Jordan fans greeted the Kuwaiti national team with the slogan: Saddam Hussein.”

Under Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi army invaded the oil-rich state of Kuwait in August 1990 and annexed it to Iraq, before an international coalition led by the United States expelled it seven months later.

Kuwait Snatches a Draw from Jordan

A day after the match between Jordan and Kuwait in Amman in the first round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the posts received hundreds of thousands of views from various social media pages.

Kuwait snatched a valuable draw in the dying moments, as Youssef Nasser scored the equalizer from a penalty kick in extra time to avoid a loss for his country, before Jordanian star Musa Al-Tamari went off injured after opening the scoring for “Nashama” in the first half.

With this tie, the two teams earned their first points in the qualifiers and finished in second and third place, three points behind leaders Iraq and ahead of South Korea and Palestine, on goal difference, in fourth and fifth place respectively. One point and Oman are sixth with no points.

Old Video

However, the video released during this match with Saddam chanting is old. The same scenario can be found on social media in 2019.

The chants were chanted during a match between the national team of Jordan and Kuwait in Amman on October 10, 2019, a qualifier for the 2022 World Cup.

This video has caused a stir and displeasure among the Kuwaiti public, and the Kuwaiti foreign minister expressed his country’s displeasure at the time.

On the contrary, Jordanian authorities condemned the chants and promised to hold those who initiated them accountable.