Tech & Science

Argentina: AI Maradona 'defeat' ad accidentally broadcast on television

Herz — Tech & Science Desk · 13 July 2026 at 22:35 · 30s summary · 4 min read

The essentials

On July 12, 2026, an online betting house accidentally broadcast the wrong version of its World Cup advertisement on several Argentine television channels. The ad featured the voice of Diego Maradona—the iconic Argentine footballer who died in 2020—recreated using AI voice cloning. The campaign used conditional versioning: one spot for victory, one for defeat. Maradona's family had consented to and received compensation for using his likeness. The campaign was already controversial before this incident due to concerns linking Maradona's image to gambling. The accidental broadcast of the 'defeat' version now risks a commercial backlash for the brand.

Accidental broadcast of 'defeat' version on July 12 on Argentine TV channels
The ad recreated Maradona's voice using AI voice cloning technology
Maradona's family had authorized the campaign and received compensation
The campaign was already controversial before the broadcast error
The accidental broadcast risks a commercial backlash for the betting operator

Argentina: AI Maradona 'defeat' ad accidentally broadcast on television — by FRANZ 64, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

What we know

On July 12, 2026, an online betting house — whose name has not been made public — accidentally broadcast on several Argentine television channels the version of its spot designed for a defeat of the national team, according to Italian news agency ANSA.

This spot featured the voice of Diego Maradona (Argentine footballer, 1960–2020), recreated through voice cloning by artificial intelligence — technology that makes it possible to reproduce a person's voice from existing recordings, even after their death.

The betting house had prepared two versions of the same spot using a conditional versioning strategy: a 'victory' version and a 'defeat' version, each designed to be broadcast only if the corresponding scenario occurred. It was the 'defeat' version that was accidentally broadcast.

What the two ad versions say

In the version designed for defeat, Maradona's synthetic voice addressed Argentine supporters. It urged them not to despair, emphasizing that 'enduring falls and getting back up' is a hallmark of Argentine character and that this too 'takes balls.'

...enduring falls and getting back on your feet, and this also means having balls.
— Synthetic voice of Diego Maradona, 'defeat' version of the ad (originally in Spanish; reported in Italian by ANSA)

The version planned for victory called on Argentines to show why they possess 'such great balls.' It ended with a challenge: if the world wanted to 'cut their legs out from under them,' they would show the world that 'here we play with balls.'

Context: a campaign already under fire

Even before July 12, the campaign was drawing criticism in Argentina. The use of Maradona's likeness — an icon of world football — in advertising for an online betting house was deemed problematic.

Maradona's family had previously granted consent and received compensation for this use. This legal mechanism — the right of personality post-mortem — allows heirs to authorize and monetize the commercial exploitation of the image or voice of a deceased person.

The accidental broadcast of the 'defeat' version compounds an already delicate situation and risks creating a commercial boomerang effect for the brand.