Earlier this week, local news outlets and official government bodies issued statements congratulating footballer Almoez Ali on becoming a UNESCO ambassador, at his since transpired that the appointment was in fact a sham.

The office of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] in Qatar has confirmed that news of Al Duhail and Qatar national team player Almoez Ali signing to become a UNESCO ambassador is in fact, fake.

The story, which broke on Monday, said the striker had signed to become a UNESCO ambassador due to his distinguished performance in previous tournaments. This news was reported by several local news outlets, including Doha News, as well as state owned Qatar News Agency.

The announcement sparked a wave of tweets in support of Almoez. Al Kass Channel tweeted congratulations, as did the Qatar Delegation to the UNESCO. Meanwhile, the Qatar Football Association also tweeted in support of the star player, though this tweet has now been deleted.

The reported signing ceremony was attended by Almoez and Princess Rani Vanouska Modely, who falsely posed as the Football World Heritage president at UNESCO.

UNESCO has confirmed to Doha News that Modely is not affiliated with the global organisation and is not authorised to speak, sign or work on its behalf.

In a statement to Doha News, UNESCO’s Director for the GCC and Yemen, Anna Paolini said, “Ms. Rani is not affiliated to UNESCO in any way, therefore Mr. Moez cannot be a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador:

The official procedure to become a Goodwill Ambassador requires a member state to approach UNESCO and officially nominate an individual. This was not the case with Almoez.