Argentine officials have initiated an inquiry into potential unlawful wagering following a well-known YouTuber's unexpected appearance in a premier league soccer match on Monday. 

Ivan Buhajeruk, 24, more widely recognized by his nine million Spanish-speaking social media fans as “Spreen,” played as a striker for Deportivo Riestra in the Argentine Primera Division on Tuesday afternoon, even though he lacked experience as a professional soccer player. 

The influencer was replaced by Deportivo coach Cristian Fabbiani after just 50 seconds without having touched the ball. The match with Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield concluded in a 1-1 tie. 

Wagering Mania 

Deportivo is recognized for its unconventional marketing, and the event appeared to be a promotional stunt for an energy drink. However, Argentina's Specialized Prosecutor on Gambling stated on Monday that it initiated an inquiry to determine “if Fabbiani and Buhajeruk aimed to draw gamblers to illegal platforms.” 

After the declaration that Spreen would begin the match, released an hour prior to kick-off, numerous betting platforms provided odds on the influencer’s performance, featuring popular wagers on whether he would reach the second half or score a goal. 

BetWarrior announced on the X platform that if Spreen scored, it would offer 47 free bets to anyone who liked its tweet. Additional sites providing odds were BPlay, 1XBet, and Betsson. 

Argentina oversees internet gambling on a provincial level. Certain provinces permit online betting, while others do not allow it. Among the sites mentioned above, all possess licenses from a minimum of one Argentine jurisdiction, except for 1XBet, which holds none. 

Bad Press

Whether it was a brewing betting scandal or not, the act was not well-received by the majority in Argentine soccer. It led the Argentine Football Association (AFA) to initiate its own inquiry through its ethics tribunal to assess if Deportivo had partaken in "actions potentially harmful to the reputation and integrity of Argentine football." 

In a statement, AGA President Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia expressed regret that some children end their lives due to not succeeding in soccer and missing the chance to play on the field as a Primera Division athlete.

"When there are things you really disapprove of, they must be corrected,” he added. “[…] These are things that need correction because they cannot happen.”

For Spreen, the entire experience had been enjoyable, though he informed his X followers on Tuesday that he was aware of the criticism regarding the stunt. 

“I was given the anecdote of my life and, of course, I accepted it,” he said. “I didn’t take anyone’s place. If anyone felt that we disrespected them in any way, I want to apologize. That was not our intention.”