Argentine club’s outlandish attempt to increase marketability has set eyes rolling and tongues wagging around.
Argentine club’s attempt to market their club takes a new twist with another unusual marketing gig.
After selecting a social media influencer in their starting lineup for Monday’s match against league leaders Velez Sarsfield, Argentina’s Deportivo Riestra football team has been accused of having “a lack of respect for football.”
Despite having no professional football experience, coach Cristian Fabbiani selected Ivan Buhajeruk, better known as “Spreen,” as a striker for the team. He has over 8 million YouTube subscribers and over 5 million Instagram followers. During the first break in play, the 24-year-old was substituted off after just 50 seconds without making contact with the ball.
In February, Buhajeruk signed a professional deal with the Buenos Aires club, which is renowned for its unorthodox marketing tactics, and enrolled him with the Argentine Football Association. Last Tuesday, he began working out with the team.
While some current and former players disapproved of the ploy, Deportivo Riestra executives justified it as a promotion for their primary sponsor, an energy drink brand.
“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, who scored from a penalty kick in the 43rd minute to open the scoring. “Football is not that, it is trying and failing and trying again.”
Former Argentina international Juan Sebastian Veron, now president of Argentine club Estudiantes de la Plata, was unimpressed by the publicity stunt. “A total lack of respect for football and footballers,” he wrote on Instagram.
Milton Celiz, the captain of Deportivo Riestra, stated that Victor Stinfale, the owner of the team and the energy drink firm that supports it, came up with the concept for Buhajeruk to play.
Before the game, Fabbiani told Velez coach Gustavo Quinteros that he didn’t want to offend anyone by selecting Buhajeruk for the team. He made this statement to a local radio station.
The match ended 1-1 when Deportivo Riestra’s Nicolás Caro Torres equalised in the 63rd minute.
In their first season in the top division of Argentina, Velez Sarsfield leads the Primera Division with 43 points, while Deportivo Riestra is in ninth place with 31 points.