New York City, N.Y., Jun 14, 2010 / 16:48 pm
Responding to “enough of an outcry” from Catholic individuals and blogs, Korean car maker Hyundai announced on Monday that it has pulled a World Cup-themed television ad that ran during the USA-England soccer match on Saturday featuring a "church" in Argentina mocking Catholic sacraments.
The ad depicts the ceremony of a “church” called "Iglesia Maradoniana" founded in Rosario, Argentina. The “church” was established in the spirit of both honoring Diego Armando Maradona -Argentina's top soccer player and current coach of its national team- as well as mocking the Catholic Church.
The ad presents elements of a Catholic ritual, but with Catholic symbolism heavily mixed with soccer imagery, while actor Jeff Bridges, the spot's narrator says: "All over the world, soccer is almost a religion... but for the members of one church in Argentina, it actually is."
Hyundai tried first to justify the ad claiming that it was based on the actual church in Argentina; but later, Hyundai spokesman apologized and announced the ad was being taken down.
“We got enough of an outcry that we think we missed the mark,” a Hyundai spokesman told the DailyFinance. “So we're going to do the right thing and pull it down.”