Hands off speedo-clad Faf: SA ad regulator rules in Springbok star’s favour

Faf de Klerk’s South Africa-themed costume advert is not offensive or sexual in any way, according to the Advertising Regulatory Board.

The South African Advertising Regulatory Board has ruled that nothing is wrong with Springbok Faf de Klerk’s scantily clad television advert after two South Africans complained that it is inappropriate and distasteful.

Four years ago, De Klerk went viral for celebrating the Springboks’ 2019 Rugby World Cup win in his South Africa-themed swimming costume.

His celebrations were so wild that he even met Prince Harry while in his speedo, when the Duke of Sussex went to congratulate the Springboks after the final.

De Klerk was also in his speedo during the Springboks’ open-top bus parade throughout the country upon their return home that year.

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Recently, De Klerk appeared in a Budget Insurance advert on television, but last week the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) received a complaint, with two people claiming that the advert featuring De Klerk in his swimming costume was “distasteful, and caused them discomfort while watching rugby with friends and family”.

This is according to an article on News24, which goes on to state that the complainants added that the image of the rugby player in a speedo does nothing to promote the insurer’s brand, with the first complainant saying that De Klerk’s “private parts are clearly visible”, which is “inappropriate and off-putting”.

But according to News24, the ARB ruled against the complainants and in favour of the Springbok star.

The ARB board ruled that the advert does not focus on an inappropriate body part and does not contain imagery, movement, dialogue, or text that could reasonably be regarded as offensive to the average South African. Therefore, the ad can’t be categorised as sexual.

For reason that, the ad regulator ruled that it is not unreasonable to show De Klerk in a South African speedo when rugby matches were broadcast.

STATEMENT FROM THE ARB RULING

“For the sake of context, Faf de Klerk gained notoriety in 2019 after South Africa’s Rugby World Cup victory, and this advertising merely sought to leverage that light-hearted memory. There was no intention to offend or promote any sexually inappropriate behaviour,” said the ARB in its ruling.

“He met the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, after the South African team won the 2019 Rugby World Cup, at the time, [he] was wearing a similar pair of underwear bearing the South African flag.”

“Given the lack of any gratuitous or graphic content, and given the relevance of the image in a rugby context, the directorate is inclined to agree that the average, reasonable person would not find the image offensive in a manner that the code seeks to prevent,” the ARB further stated in its ruling.