Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Steve Callethi


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was Speedy deleted G3 as a blatant hoax. GiantSnowman 10:43, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

Steve Callethi

 * – ( View AfD View log  Stats )

I believe that this article is part of a multi-platform hoax across Wikipedia, Youtube and Twitter. Steve Callethi is (apparently) an Ivorian footballer who has played for AS Indenie Abengourou and, in the original version of the article, for Tom Tomsk in Russia. Since being listed his birthplace and birthdate have been altered, with a number of clear jokes and spoofs (When a letter arrived informing the family that a Nigerian prince, a distant cousin, had died and left them millions in inheritance, they spent the large majority of their money travelling south, only to find that a group of amateur con men had deceived them) added to the biography.

However, I think that this goes beyond people vandalizing a legitimate article - I am not convinced that this person exists:
 * A video purporting to be him on Youtube seems to be a compilation of multiple players: this goal, is actually one scored by Yaya Toure in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (see here).
 * I don't believe that a player could have obtained 4 Ivory Coast caps without garnering any attention in any English language media (or for that matter, appearing on player lists at FIFA's website), never mind the 7 caps that he apparently had in 2010 when the article was first created!
 * None of the external links or references actually refer to him.
 * There's even a Twitter account that seems bogus, connected as it is to a fake account for Manchester United F.C.
 * There is no evidence of this player at the Tom Tomsk website, though I'd be keen if a Russian speaker could confirm this?

Overall, then, I think it seems clear that this is a hoax across multiple platforms, which has survived for a remarkably long time! Super Nintendo Chalmers (talk) 08:29, 1 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Note: This discussion has been included in WikiProject Football's list of association football-related deletions. Super Nintendo Chalmers (talk) 08:33, 1 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Delete I can't find any official or reliable sources that mention this player. We had a similar incident recently with a footballer named "Azeem Azam", which also involved a twitter account and claims that the player had played for several MLS clubs. Number   5  7  09:07, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.