(Reuters) – Argentine club Deportivo Riestra were branded “shameful” and a “disgrace” after putting an influencer into the starting line-up for Monday’s top-flight game against leaders Velez Sarsfield before substituting him inside the first minute.
Ivan Buhajeruk, who is better known as Spreen and has more than 7 million subscribers on YouTube, has no professional football experience but was named as a striker in the side by coach Cristian Fabbiani.
The 24-year-old was subbed off after only 50 seconds during a break in play for a foul.
The lowly Buenos Aires club, who are known for their unconventional marketing strategies, gave Buhajeruk a professional contract and registered him with the Argentine FA in February.
Match commentators on local broadcaster Tyc Sports were scathing of Buhajeruk’s performance in the short time he was on the pitch.
“He doesn’t even know where to stand … it’s unbelievable,” one commentator said. “This is shameful, it’s a total disgrace.”
Fabbiani told a local radio station that he had spoken to Velez coach Gustavo Quinteros ahead of the match to tell him he did not want to disrespect anyone by naming Buhajeruk in the team.
“He laughed and told me to leave him for half an hour. 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,” he added.
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.
Argentine newspaper La Nacion wrote on its website: “How to disrespect the history and future of Argentine football in one minute”.
Riestra have enjoyed an impressive maiden campaign in the Primera Division and in ninth place, level on points with giants Boca Juniors.
Monday’s match ended 1-1.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios and Ramiro Scandolo; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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