Haren
In a bizarre marketing move, Argentina football club Deportivo Riestra started their league one game against group leaders Velez Sarsfield with a social media influencer Ivan Buhajeruk. Known as Spreen in social media circles, he has more than 8 million subscribers on YouTube and 5 million followers on Instagram. Yet, the 24-year-old had no professional football experience, but began the game as a striker.
Only last February had the ninth-placed club registered him with the Argentine FA and subsequently handed out a contract. He started training with the team only last Tuesday. His game, though, lasted only 50 seconds. Needless to say, he didn’t touch the ball.
Deportivo Riestra executives defended the gimmick as a push for their main sponsor, an energy drink company. The request came from the owner of the club Victor Stinfale, who owns both the club and the energy drink company that sponsors it. The coach Cristian Fabiani too was not keen but forced to start with him due a contractual obligation. “It’s something contractual that was signed a long time ago and the club depends a lot on publicity … it was probably a one-time thing,” said Fabiani, who had informed Velez coach Gustavo Quinteros before the game. “He laughed and told me to leave him for half an hour,” he said.
However, former Argentine players and pundits stoutly criticised the move. “A total lack of respect for football and footballers,” wrote former international Juan Sebastian Veron on Instagram. “What happened today was a lack of respect for football, it is a wrong message to society, to kids who try hard,” said Velez striker Braian Romero. “Football is not that, it is trying and failing and trying again.”
The match, though, ended in a 1-1 draw.
