The Football Association has pulled a cookery series advert featuring Yung Filly less than 24 hours after he appeared in court accused of sexually assaulting a woman.
The Greater Game Campaign was launched by The FA and England team sponsor M&S to promote healthy eating in children between 12 and 16.
British YouTuber Filly, 29, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, was chosen to appear in its videos alongside other England stars.
But he appeared in court earlier today accused of sexually assaulting a woman in her 20s on September 28 after a performance at Bar1 Nightclub in Perth.
His appearance came just a day after the FA announced it had chosen the YouTuber for the series to ‘encourage young people up and down the country to experiment with cooking healthy alternatives’.
But its governing body quickly reacted and pulled the advert after news broke overnight that Filly was arrested in Brisbane on Tuesday and extradited to Perth on Wednesday.
He also regularly appears on Footasylum’s YouTube channel, starring in the dating series Does The Shoe Fit, as well as on Pro:Direct Soccer’s YouTube – but the company told his contract has been suspended.
He was due to appear in a three-part content series called ‘Freestyle Cooking’ with cameos from England football stars Bukayo Saka, Ezri Konsa and Jarrod Bowen.
The FA confirmed to Sky News that the videos had been removed.
A Footasylum spokesperson told : ‘In light of these extremely serious charges, we are suspending our contract with Yung Filly with immediate effect.
‘We are unable to comment further until the legal process has been concluded.’
Perth Magistrates’ Court heard Barrientos was charged with four counts of sexual penetration without consent, three counts of assault, and one count of impeding a person’s normal breathing or circulation by applying pressure to their neck.
Police prosecutor Julius Depetro opposed his release from custody during a hearing today at Perth Magistrates Court, but he was granted conditional bail.
Barrientos was granted bail with a series of conditions, including a ban on contacting his victim or posting on social media about the case.
He must also remain in Western , report daily to police and put up a personal $100,000 (£52,000) cash surety.
Yung Filly is among the legions of ‘content creators’ who have made a name for themselves by amassing huge followings online and made money from video ad revenue and brand collaborations.
After leaving school with four GCSEs and trying his hand at working as a broker, he began posting comedy skits online himself and with collaborators – leading to TV presenting jobs and the start of a music career.
The online personality – estimated net worth £1.5m – was born in Colombia in 1995 before his family fled the country during the country’s decades-long civil war, moving to Lewisham, south-east London when he was just two, living above a chicken shop.
He told Amazon Prime in 2020: ‘I’m most proud of the fact that I was a refugee, I’m proud that I had to struggle.
‘It makes you appreciate all the little stuff a lot more. I don’t think I really took in how poor we were.’
He was single-handedly raised by his mother Maria – who he has since provided for off the back of his success.
He left school and became a broker at the age of 17, boasting in one interview how he was making ‘racks’ – slang for thousands of pounds.
‘Bro, I was 17 making like seven to ten racks (thousands of pounds). I was good,’ he told YouTube channel Yiannimize.
‘But I wasn’t good, because I didn’t give my mum a penny so I’m a wasteman really.’
He then joined YouTube in November 2013 after a video about his ex cheating on him went viral with millions of views on Facebook.
Videos saw him creating comedy skits and hosting ‘awkward’ question and answer sessions with members of the public in London.
Filly then joined up with The Wall of Comedy group of burgeoning internet stars and, around the same time, began pursuing his music career, releasing singles Take Time, La Paila and Mucho Mas across 2017 and 2018.
His presence on camera led to presenting jobs with BBC Three – the corporation’s hotbed for new young talent – on dating show Hot Property and Don’t Scream, a game show.
He would also collaborate with rappers Chip (formerly Chipmunk) and Aitch on singles Day to Day and Grey, respectively, and had released a new single, Tempted, shortly before embarking on the tour.