Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham have become victims of sophisticated deepfake scams designed to falsely present them as partners of illegal betting operators.
Vietnamese sportsbook QH88 produced an AI-generated video appearing to show Fernandes signing an “ambassadorial contract” at Old Trafford. Norwegian investigative outlet Josimar commissioned a detailed forensic analysis of the footage, which identified blurred details, minute continuity errors and generic background faces as evidence of AI manipulation. However, these red flags remain difficult to detect for casual viewers, and the video continues to play on a loop on QH88’s main website.
The platform specifically targeted Fernandes due to Manchester United’s significant supporter base in Vietnam. The Portuguese international captains the club, which maintains extensive popularity throughout the country.
Meanwhile, Curaçao-licensed operator Nightwin executed a separate campaign involving Bellingham. The company purchased Instagram advertising space to promote “Bellingham Bet,” a fabricated application falsely attributed to the England international. The advertisements featured made-up BBC stories claiming Bellingham had launched his own betting platform, complete with his stylised signature. Users clicking through encountered an app falsely claiming 1.9 million downloads and a 4.9-star rating before redirecting to the gambling site.
These scams violate Article 27 of the FIFA code of ethics, which prohibits active footballers, coaches and officials from deriving any benefit from associations with sports betting operators. Colombian defender Yerry Mina, then playing for Everton, received a £10,000 fine from the Football Association in 2019 for appearing in a television advertisement for Colombian sportsbook Betjuego.
Both operations function from offshore jurisdictions that protect beneficial owners’ anonymity through shell companies and opaque registry systems. Nightwin operates via Flybergom B.V., incorporated in Curaçao in May 2024 and licensed there in September 2025. The platform remains accessible within the United Kingdom despite lacking registration with the Great Britain Gambling Commission.
Legal enforcement against such entities proves challenging. Operators ignore cease-and-desist notices, and the use of multiple shell companies makes identifying appropriate defendants for lawsuits effectively impossible. Unless international regulators coordinate enforcement efforts, players with high commercial profiles remain vulnerable to similar AI-enabled identity theft.