Diocese of Getafe in Spain asks soccer team to pull offensive TV promo

Madrid, Spain, Jul 13, 2007 / 09:39 am

The Diocese of Getafe has called for a TV commercial for the local soccer team to be taken off the air for ridiculing the Catholic faith.  The spot encourages fans to financially support the team, telling them that fanaticism for sports is better than the faith.

In the commercial, Abraham, Moses, Adam deny their devotion to God and say they would only sacrifice themselves for the soccer team.  The most offensive portion is at the end when the Crucified Christ is shown with the phrase, “My team comes first.”

In a press release, the Diocese of Getafe noted the “general bad feeling” caused by the commercial and that most people considered it to be “irreverent and blasphemous.”  The diocese said it hoped those responsible for airing the commercial would use “common sense” and pull it off the air.

Speaking to Europa Press, Marcial Cuquerella, president of the Observatory for Religious Freedom, said the commercial is an example of the “banalization of the history of Christianity” and attacks not only Catholics but also “all those who have their roots in the Bible, from the Jews to the Protestants.”

Officials with the Getafe soccer team have acknowledged the commercial is controversial but they do not consider it offensive.  Despite having received complaints, team officials told “La Razon” the commercial was simply “an exaggeration, and we understand that some might find it irreverent, but our intention was not to offend anyone. The commercial has to be seen as a metaphor, in an artistic sense.  It really was not done in bad faith,” they said.

Angel Torres and Lucas Paulino, who are in charge of the team’s publicity and created the spot, said they did not consider it offensive.  They called it “an exaggeration” and said the idea behind the commercial was, “If you are going to sacrifice yourself, you do it for your team.”