An Argentine football club generated controversy in the country’s football community for starting a top-flight match with an influencer who has no professional experience.
Deportivo Riestra chose a streamer known as “Spreen” for their match against Primera Division leaders Vélez Sarsfield on Monday, but the 24-year-old was replaced after only 78 seconds, during which he had no ball contact.
Riestra’s post on X announcing Spreen’s inclusion in the lineup garnered 3.4 million views, a sharp contrast to the usual few thousand views for a regular match.
The decision has drawn strong criticism from football figures across Argentina.
Former Manchester United and Argentina player Juan Sebastián Verón, who is currently president of Estudiantes de La Plata, blasted it as a “total lack of respect for football and footballers.”
Vélez striker Braian Romero also attacked it, calling it a “lack of respect for football” that conveyed a “bad message to society, children, and those who work hard to break into the sport.”
Riestra captain Milton Céliz stated, “He’s a friend of the club, he has a contract… let him enjoy it; everyone would like to play in the first division.” However, Céliz acknowledged that he “understands the criticism,” stating that the choice was “not our responsibility as players; it’s a matter for the club’s owners.”
“We never intended to disrespect Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield or Argentine football,” Riestra said in a statement, adding that Vélez was told of the project the week before the match.
“Our goal was (and is) to attract new audiences to football, to build bridges between different worlds and platforms, and to continue strengthening the product (football) and our club, which is experiencing a historic moment in the First Division.”
Riestra were promoted to the first level last season after ascending five divisions in the previous ten years.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has requested that its ethics committee look into “potential conduct that could damage Argentinian football’s reputation for integrity.”
