A PR stunt makes waves. The Argentine first division club Deportivo Riestra has brought in an influencer for a league game.
His name is Ivan Buhajeruk and he wears the number 47 shirt at Deportivo Riestra. So far, so normal. But Buhajeruk prefers to be called “Spreen”, is by no means an outstanding footballer, let alone fit for action in the top flight of Argentinean football. In real life, 47 is a well-known streamer and influencer in South America, has around ten million followers on the Twitch platform and around seven million on YouTube.
The fact that “Spreen” is substituted again in the second minute of Riestra’s home game against league leaders Velez Sarsfield and replaced by “real” footballer Gustavo Fernandez underlines the fact that this is purely a PR exercise.
Because for Riestra, based in the capital Buenos Aires and competing in the first-class Liga Profesional de Futbol for the first time in club history in 2024, it’s not just about the three points – in the end it will be one (1:1) – but about publicity and ultimately, as was to be expected, money.
“Wrong message to the children out there”
As was to be expected, the game gets underway in the short time available, passing “Spreen”; without even touching the ball, the whole thing is quickly over for the 24-year-old. And yet: Riestra’s jersey sponsor, the manufacturer of an energy drink called “Speed”, benefits from the attention that this “prelude” attracts. Because the nonsense is, of course, shared and commented on countless times on the internet, with its “best scenes” being duplicated with a wink.
Of course, criticism was inevitable. Velez striker Braian Romero, who played the full 90 minutes and scored the visitors’ goal, was outspoken: “What happened today was disrespectful to football,” the forward complained in a post-match TV interview. “It sends the wrong message to society and to all the kids out there working hard for their football dream.”
The newspaper La Nacion called the measure “shameful”, the commentators of the local channel Tyc Sports spoke of a “total disgrace”, former national player Juan Sebastian Veron, now president of the Argentine club Estudiantes de la Plata, said it showed a “complete lack of respect for football and footballers”.
“Probably a one-time thing” – Afa launches investigation
Now the Argentine Football Association Afa is taking action and, according to media reports, is launching an investigation. Possibly the bloke has violated his code of ethics.
Riestra’s coach Cristian Fabbiani defends his employer. He told a radio station that he was ultimately responsible for the influencer’s lineup and that he didn’t want to disrespect anyone. His colleague Gustavo Quinteros, from opponents Velez, even laughed when he told him about the plan before the game. “It’s a contractual agreement that was signed a long time ago,” Fabbiani said about the deal with the internet star. Riestra is ultimately “very dependent on advertising,” but the whole campaign is “probably a one-time thing,” the soccer coach tried to smooth things over.
In the end, Velez had to settle for a draw, in addition to the unwanted PR, and defended the league lead five match days before the end against Huracan, which won 1-0 against Independiente and came within one point.