Leandro Zapponi went viral for all the wrong reasons following the United States’ 2-0 win over Australia on Friday.
A clip of the Argentine broadcaster was circulated after the game, and it appeared to show Zapponi making a racially insensitive comment about American singer-songwriter Ciara, who was shown on the broadcast alongside former NFL quarterback Russell Wilson. The viral clip suggested Zapponi asked, “Who is this black woman?” during Friday’s broadcast.
It appears the clip is fake. Zapponi and his broadcaster, DSPORTS in Argentina, both came out following the clip’s circulation with emphatic denials. Zapponi’s social media post included footage of the actual broadcast, which does not include the racially charged comment he was accused of making.
En tiempos de Fake News, esta gente sólo intenta hacer daño y fomentar el odio. Audios modificados por IA que no causan gracia. Es triste tener que estar aclarando que nunca dije y que nunca diría algo asi. Acá el fragmento real de la transmisión pic.twitter.com/bm7QtdTFAw
— 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗼 𝗭𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗶 (@leandrozapponi) June 19, 2026
“In times of Fake News, these people are just trying to cause harm and spread hatred,” a translation of Zapponi’s post reads. “AI-modified audios that aren’t even funny. It’s sad to have to clarify that I never said and would never say something like that. Here’s the real clip from the broadcast.”
DSPORTS subsequently released its own statement,
DSPORTS RECHAZA ENFÁTICAMENTE CUALQUIER FORMA DE DISCRIMINACIÓN
Aparecieron en las últimas horas videos de transmisiones del #MundialEnDSPORTS alterados de forma deliberada y con malas intenciones, por lo que manifestamos nuestro repudio y los invitamos a no difundir estos… pic.twitter.com/2QmH6WcxxT
— DSPORTS (@DSports) June 20, 2026
“In the last few hours, videos from [DSPORTS’] broadcasts have surfaced that were deliberately altered with malicious intent, so we express our strong repudiation and invite you not to share these materials,” a translation of the statement read. “The videos are fake news that include racist, xenophobic, and discriminatory expressions that we emphatically reject.”
Unfortunately, instances like these are only likely to become more common in sports media, as AI-generated material becomes easier to create.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.