A football club in Argentina is under investigation after fielding KICK streamer Spreen in a game for under a minute and he’s now responded.
Over the years, some top content creators have also impressed as athletes. Jake Paul is a successful boxer, his brother Logan has gained plenty of praise for his abilities in WWE, and we’ve seen some Sidemen Charity Match players trial for English football clubs.
Now, in Argentina, KICK streamer and YouTuber Ivan ‘Spreen’ Buhajeruk has gone one further. The content creator, who has almost 8 million subscribers on YouTube, made a brief appearance for Deportivo Riestra against Vélez Sarsfield. Spreen got the nod because of the club’s sponsorship with an energy drink of the same name.
Spreen, who started the game, was substituted after a quick break in play and didn’t return to the pitch.
Now, the Argentine FA – AFA – is investigating the club’s marketing move for “conduct likely to harm the reputation and integrity of Argentine football.”
The content creator has come under fire from other players as well. That includes Velez striker Brian Romero who called it a “lack of respect.”
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Spreen addressed the controversy in his November 12 KICK stream. “All I can say is that I was given the story of my life and obviously I accepted it,” he said.
“I didn’t take anyone’s spot, but if someone felt disrespected in any way, I want to apologize. That was not our intention at all. I had been informed that everything was previously discussed with Vélez. We didn’t take anyone’s place.”
Deportivo Riestra have also apologized after the investigation was opened against them.
“Unfortunately, this marketing action has generated a lot of negative opinions. We want to extend our sincerest apologies to anyone who felt offended,” they said.
It remains to be seen if anything will come of the investigation. Spreen has been streaming and uploading to YouTube since, however.
