WHAT WAS CLAIMED
An image shows the AFL team Hawthorn's home ground, Marvel Stadium, engulfed in flames and black smoke.
OUR VERDICT
False. The image is AI-generated and Marvel Stadium isn't the Hawks' main home ground.
AAP FACTCHECK - Hawthorn fans did not flee a fire ripping through their AFL home ground in Melbourne, despite claims on social media.
The images of the blaze are AI-generated and there has been no fire at the Marvel Stadium.
The claim is one of numerous falsehoods posted by a Facebook page called Hawks United, which is operated from Vietnam and pushes out disinformation daily.
The posts all urge readers to click on a link to an external website laden with ads and more false claims.
The claim about the supposed fire at Marvel Stadium is in two posts on May 13 and May 15.
The latter post claims that the blaze started during a Hawks match, causing emergency alarms to sound and fans to scramble for exits as firefighters rushed in.
But there has been no such fire at the Melbourne venue.
The Hawks' primary home ground is the MCG, not Marvel Stadium.
They have played only two games at Marvel in 2026 - against Port Adelaide on April 18 and against St Kilda on May 28 - with no reports of any fire incidents.
Images in both posts feature the logo of Google's AI chatbot Gemini, indicating they're synthetic.
Another post claims player Jai Newcombe faced a backlash after supposedly speaking out against "LGBTQ themes" in children's cartoons.
The statement is fabricated and there are no reports of Newcombe making such comments.
Identical quotes have been attributed to other celebrities on similar disinformation pages on Facebook.
Another post claims Saudi billionaire Mohamed Al Saud has openly declared his intention to buy the AFL club, accompanied by an image of Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman.
This claim is false.
Neither Prince Mohammed nor any Saudi billionaire named "Mohammed Al Saud" has made such statements about the Hawks.
The claim resembles posts from similar disinformation pages on Facebook that falsely link Saudi investment to other Australian and global sporting franchises.
A post claiming player Josh Weddle refused to wear a "LGBT rainbow armband" for the rest of the season is also false.
AAP FactCheck has debunked several claims about other players in the league supposedly refusing to wear rainbow armbands.
The AFL does not have an LGBT armband and there are no credible reports of any player commenting about one.
A further post claims Hawks star James Sicily invited an elderly fan to join him on stage at an event.
There are no reports of such a meeting and the Google Gemini logo is visible in the images accompanying the post.
A final post claims an unnamed 27-year-old female fan died after a family dispute, leaving behind a three-year-old child.
However, there is no evidence that this woman exists and the Google Gemini AI logo is visible in the supposed images of her.
Furthermore, nearly identical posts about a female fan's death have appeared on similar Facebook disinformation pages.
They all feature the same text about "her years of dedication" and "tragic circumstances surrounding her passing", bringing fans to tears.
Facebook transparency data shows that the Hawks United page is actually being operated by users in Vietnam.
It is one of several pages AAP FactCheck has identified that target Australian AFL and NRL fans on Facebook with fabricated stories and AI-generated images.
AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, BlueSky, TikTok and YouTube.
