A viral story claiming Barcelona and Spain star Gavi donated €1.3million to build homes for vulnerable people in his Andalucian hometown has been exposed as false.
The heartwarming claim spread rapidly across social media and was repeated by numerous news outlets after first appearing in Spanish newspaper La Razon on August 20.
It alleged that the 22-year-old footballer, whose full name is Pablo Paez Gavira, was funding a huge charitable housing project in Los Palacios y Villafranca, in Sevilla province.
According to the original story, Gavi had supposedly donated around €1.3million to create 150 apartments containing 300 beds for vulnerable and homeless people.
Town hall and Gavi’s entourage deny story
However, El Correo de Andalucia contacted Los Palacios y Villafranca town hall after the claims began circulating.
Municipal sources confirmed that no such housing project exists. The Spanish Eye had contacted the town hall for comment.
The town hall also contacted people close to Gavi, who similarly denied that the supposed initiative was real.
There were other warning signs in the original report.
Despite describing a €1.3million development involving 150 apartments, it provided no specific location for the project, construction plans, proposed start date or details of an organisation that would operate the accommodation.
Nor did it identify the original source of the information or provide a link to the comments supposedly made by Gavi.
Nevertheless, the feel-good story was rapidly picked up elsewhere and widely shared on social media.
False story spread across the internet
Gavi was an especially believable subject for such a claim because of his close links to Los Palacios y Villafranca.
The footballer grew up in the Sevilla province town before joining Barcelona’s La Masia academy as a child and becoming one of Spain’s most recognisable players.
But neither Los Palacios town hall nor Gavi’s entourage has confirmed any €1.3million donation or 150-apartment homeless housing project.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
