Deportivo Riestra apologized after starting streamer Spreen, far from being a footballer, during an Argentine championship match. The unusual scene was not unanimous.
The 59-second publicity shot makes people cringe. Deportivo Riestra, an Argentine first division football club, gained worldwide notoriety by starting the popular Spanish-speaking streamer Spreen during a championship match against Vélez Sarsfield (1-1). Not only because this content creator with 7.8 million subscribers on YouTube is absolutely not a professional footballer, but also because he was replaced without even having touched the ball.
An unusual scene which amused many Internet users, but which absolutely does not make those involved in Argentine football laugh. Starting with some 2022 world champions.
“I don’t agree with what happened.”
During the gathering of the Argentina national team for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Rodrigo De Paul deplored the signal sent to the youth. “I don't think that's the right message. It took me a long time to play in the first division and that's not how you get there. You have to work, make an effort, fall down and start again “I do not agree with what happened. Everyone who is here to wear the national team jersey had to pay a heavy price, no one gave us anything for free,” lamented the midfielder. from Atlético de Madrid, as reported by TyC Sports.
“Our thinking is more or less the same. It’s not the example we want to give to young people,” agreed Leandro Paredes, under contract at AS Roma after his time at Paris Saint-Germain. “Playing a first division match requires a lot of sacrifice. This kind of thing is bad. It's not good to send this type of message,” he added.
If it were only comments from footballers, Deportivo Riestra could possibly have gotten out of this streak without too much difficulty. Except that Claudio Tapia, the president of the Argentine football federation, took the floor to denounce a “lack of respect” and a “wrong message for society”.
“There are children who take their own lives because of problems,” he even added.
“Apologies” from the club and Spreen
Faced with such a wave of indignation, Deportivo Riestra finally released a statement: “Unfortunately, this marketing operation provokes many negative reactions. We want to offer our most sincere apologies to those who felt offended. At no time will we “We had no intention of disrespecting Vélez Sarsfield, or Argentine football in general.”
“Our objective was (and is) to attract new audiences to football, to create bridges between different worlds and platforms,” adds the club, recently promoted to D1, and which faces sanction from the football committee. ethics of the Argentine federation.
Spreen also spoke in a live on Kick: “I was given the story of my life and, obviously, I accepted. I didn't take the place of a child, but if someone One felt like we were disrespectful, I apologize for that. There was no intention to be disrespectful and from what I heard it had already been. discussed with Vélez. We didn't take anyone's place. I accepted because, deep down, it's the story of my life.
