Juan Veron criticizes Deportivo Riestra for starting YouTube star Spreen in league match

In a move that has shocked the Argentine football community, Deportivo Riestra included popular YouTube star and social media influencer Spreen in their starting lineup for a recent league match against Velez Sarsfield. The 24-year-old, whose real name is Ivan Raul Buhajeruk Fernandez, played just 59 seconds before being substituted, making a brief but controversial appearance that has stirred up strong reactions among fans and football professionals alike.

This wasn’t simply a sporting decision. Deportivo Riestra reportedly made this move to attract sponsors, leveraging Spreen’s popularity on social media, where he has amassed over 5 million followers. However, the stunt has left a bad taste in the mouths of many, who see it as a blatant disrespect to the sport.

"Today, we witnessed a total lack of respect for football," said Braian Romero, a forward for Velez Sarsfield, after the game. "This sends the wrong message to society and to all the kids who work hard to achieve their dreams. This isn’t football."

Adding his voice to the criticism, legendary former player Juan Veron—now president of Estudiantes de La Plata—didn’t hold back on social media. "This is a complete disrespect to the game and to the players," wrote Veron, a former star for Manchester United, Chelsea, Inter, and Lazio.

This isn’t the first time Deportivo Riestra has made headlines for such stunts. Earlier this year, they fielded Mateo Apolonio, a 14-year-old, in an Argentine Cup match, making him the youngest player ever to appear in an official match in Argentine football history. Like Spreen’s appearance, Apolonio’s was purely symbolic, and he hasn’t been seen in the first team since.

These tactics may bring media attention and brief moments of fame, but for many fans and players, they reflect a troubling shift in priorities that risks undermining the integrity of football.