The channel's response didn't even attempt to defend its commercial: “We sincerely regret having caused discomfort or offense to you and your representatives, and therefore apologize. Furthermore, please be advised that approximately five hours after the initial broadcast, the commercial was permanently cancelled.” They explained that “it was in no way the intention of the management or staff of Tele Red Imagen SA to disrespect the Russian Federation and its Head of State.” However, they made no mention of the situation faced by the LGBTQ+ community in Russia, which—along with the stereotypes, stigmatization, and homophobic mockery, etc., in the commercial—was the focus of the controversy and the barrage of criticism immediately after the spot aired.

Several complaints against the ad

The Ombudsman for Audiovisual Communication Services has initiated proceedings on numerous complaints alleging homophobia and discrimination in TyC Sports' advertisement for the World Cup in Russia. The complaints were filed by viewers and various LGBTQ+ organizations based on Argentine audiovisual regulations, which mandate equal treatment in television broadcasts.   “This advertisement contains highly sexist and homophobic content that undermines the cultural and social rights and victories achieved in recent years by the LGBT movement,” states one of the complaints. “The content of this piece is homophobic and extremely violent toward the gay community, in addition to trivializing the persecution of this community in the Russian Federation,” states another. They also consider that the ad “harms, offends, restricts, limits, suppresses, and violates human rights guaranteed by local and international legal frameworks.” They further state: “Such symbolic violence can no longer be tolerated.” According to the Ombudsman's Office, the complaints and the video were analyzed by an interdisciplinary team before the corresponding legal proceedings were initiated just 24 hours after the ad aired. “Respect for diversity and non-discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation in audiovisual media is an obligation arising from the Audiovisual Communication Services Law and the regulations that have expanded rights for the LGBTQ+ community in Argentina in recent years,” the agency emphasized. They explained that this is one of the issues of greatest concern to audiences and a central focus of the agency's work since its inception. “Therefore, the Ombudsman's Office carries out protection, promotion, and training initiatives whose main objective is to help remove the obstacles that prevent the pluralistic and equal treatment of all people and LGBTQ+ groups on television and radio.”