ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Friday denied the allegations that Jordanian football fans had insulted their Iraqi counterparts in a recent match, describing the circulating footage as “fabricated”.

A video purportedly showing Jordanian fans chanting insulting remarks against Iraqis during a football match has been making the rounds on Iraqi social media in recent days, sparking anger among the public.

In a phone call on Friday, Safadi and his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein discussed the “historical” relations between the two countries, while also touching upon the recent controversy.

“The two sides addressed the misleading attempts by some parties to undermine the brotherly relations between Iraq and Jordan, through the publication of fabricated video,” read a statement from the Iraqi foreign ministry.

“Minister Safadi confirmed that technical investigations have conclusively proven that the published video is fake and has no basis in reality,” the statement noted, adding that investigations are ongoing to identify the parties behind the viral video “and to take the necessary legal action against those involved.”

The New Region has not been able to independently verify the legitimacy of the footage.

Iraq’s Minister of Youth and Sports Ahmed al-Mubarqa on Friday condemned the purported  chants, saying the incident could have an impact on Iraq-Jordan relations, and urged the Iraqi foreign ministry to engage with the Jordanian side over the issue.

The Jordanian Football Association on Thursday denied the legitimacy of the video, condemning it as an attempt to incite hate and racism between the people of the two countries.

With two matches left in the third round of the World Cup Asian qualifiers, Iraq and Jordan are both vying for a spot in the prestigious tournament. The two teams are competing in the same group, with Jordan currently leading Iraq by one point.

The stiff competition has inevitably led to animosity and hostility between the two sides, especially among football fans online.

A qualification to the 2026 World Cup would be a monumental achievement for either team, as it would mark Jordan’s debut in the prestigious tournament, while Iraq hopes to reach the tournament for the second time in its history - the first since 1986.