Uefa warns teams could be fined if they move drinks at news conferences
Cristiano Ronaldo ditches Coca-Cola for water at Euro 2020 press conference
Teams at Euro 2020 could face fines if their players move drinks provided by sponsors at news conferences, as Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba have done in recent days.
On Monday, Portugal captain Ronaldo removed two bottles of Coca-Cola and encouraged people to drink water. The next day, France midfielder Pogba, a practising Muslim, discreetly removed a bottle of Heineken beer. Italy's Manuel Locatelli also replaced Coca-Cola with water on Wednesday.
"Uefa has reminded participating teams that partnerships are integral to the delivery of the tournament and to ensuring the development of football across Europe, including for youth and women," tournament organisers said on Thursday.
Ronaldo and Pogba's snub of Coke and Heineken raise questions on sponsorship authenticity
Coca-Cola and Heineken, sponsors of UEFA EURO 2020, were recently snubbed by football players Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba after the players slid the bottles away from themselves during two separate press conferences. Multiple media outlets including CBS News, Reuters, NBC News and The Washington Post reported that Cristiano Ronaldo moved two bottles of Coke away from him as he sat down for a press conference on 15 June. He then held up a bottle of water and said: “Agua (water).”
According to CBS News and The Washington Post, Coca-Cola’s market value dipped by US$4 billion by the end of the press conference and its shares have also dipped 1.6% to US$55.22. Shares dropped by another 0.6% to US$55.08 on 16 June, CBS News added. That same day, Pogba also removed a bottle of Heineken’s non-alcoholic 0.0 beer when he settled down for a press conference. The French footballer is known to be a practising Muslim. In response, Heineken told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: "We fully respect everyone’s decision when it comes to their beverage of choice."
In 2019, Coca-Cola came on board as the official non-alcoholic beverage sponsor for UEFA EURO 2020. The brand has enjoyed a long partnership with UEFA, having first signed up to sponsor UEFA European football’s premier national team tournament in 1988, UEFA said in a press statement previously. Meanwhile, Heineken also signed a sponsorship agreement in 2019 to become the official beer partner of UEFA EURO 2020. According to UEFA, the sponsorship deal includes exclusive pouring rights at stadiums, fan zones and fan villages during the tournament, LED pitch boarding exposure, digital rights, Man of the Match presentations, match screenings and ticket giveaways. Heineken will also activate global TV and digital integrated marketing campaigns using its global football ambassador, Thierry Henry. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Coca-Cola and UEFA for comment.
Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo snubbed Coca-Cola
Then their market value sank $4 billion
During a Euro 2020 press conference on Monday, soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo irritably moved two bottles of Coca-Cola, one of the official sponsors of the event, and then picked up a bottle of water.
"Água!" he exclaimed in Portuguese, setting the bottle down in the center of his desk.
By the end of the press conference for the European Championship, Coca-Cola's shares had dropped 1.6%, to $55.22 from $56.17. That lopped $4 billion off the beverage behemoth's market value, with the shares sinking another 0.6% on Tuesday to $55.08. Coca-Cola's decline was in sharp contrast to the rest of the S&P 500, which rose 0.4% on Monday. Overall, the stock index has risen 13% this year, while Coca-Cola shares are up 0.5%.
Cristiano Ronaldo snubbed Coca-Cola. The company’s market value fell $4 billion
Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo removed two Coca-Cola bottles and expressed his preference for water during a Euro 2020 news conference on June 14. (Reuters)
As soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo sat down for a press conference at the European Championship Monday, he pushed aside two Coca-Cola bottles placed in front of him. “Água,” he said in Portuguese, picking up a bottle of water and seemingly encouraging others to do the same. “No Coca-Cola.”
The simple gesture had a swift and dramatic impact: The soft drinks giant’s market value fell $4 billion, highlighting the power and impact that celebrities and influencers can have on the market. The 36-year-old Juventus star, who has almost 300 million followers on his personal Instagram account, is known for maintaining strict physical and eating regimens and has previously criticized the consumption of soft drinks.
The company’s share price dropped from $56.10 to $55.22 quickly after Ronaldo’s slight, marking a 1.6 percent fall. The market value of Coca-Cola went from $242 billion to $238 billion, according to Nasdaq index and the New York Stock Exchange.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Coca-Cola snub is a reminder of the power of personality and how sponsor-player relationships are changing for good
In our latest Saturday opinion column, we reflect on the relationship between brands and sports stars, after Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision to remove two bottles of Coca-Cola from view during a press conference was linked with a $4 billion drop in the soft drink company’s market value.
This week, against the usually mundane backdrop of a sports tournament pre-match press conference, came a reminder of the power of sports star brands. Before a word had been spoken, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, regarded by many as the best footballer on the planet, took his seat in front of the media and removed from view two bottles of Coca-Cola, which had been positioned in front of him as part of the company’s 2020 UEFA European Football Championship sponsorship deal. He then picked up a bottle of water and said “Água”, followed by: “No Coca-Cola.”
What was seemingly a throwaway gesture went viral, spawning memes, online discussions and even jokes from other players. It also led to questions over the player’s stance, with videos shared of an old advert in which Ronaldo endorses Coca-Cola – although the response to that has included further praise for the now health-fanatic star “growing up”, “maturing” and “learning to be more responsible”. Above all, the incident seemingly had a significant impact on the soft drink giant’s share price. The day after the incident, media reports linked Ronaldo’s actions to a $4 billion drop in Coca-Cola’s market value (although its share price has since bounced back).
Italy ace Manuel Locatelli latest Euro 2020 star to remove Coca-Cola from press conference after Ronaldo’s snub
The Italy star cheekily moved the Coca-Cola bottles from his press conference
ITALY hero Manuel Locatelli has become the latest star to pop at the sight of Coca-Cola bottles in a fizz-ling row over Euro 2020 sponsors. The popular carbonated drink was set up in front of the midfielder as he took his seat to discuss a Man of the Match display against Switzerland.
But he made a point of placing a bottle of water directly in front of his microphone before moving the Coca-Cola out of shot ahead of speaking to the press. Locatelli then smiled and toyed with his Man of the Match trophy as he awaited the first question.
It followed Cristiano Ronaldo's decision to ditch the sugary drink before Portugal's game with Hungary. The 36-year-old, who has admitted to being 'irritated' by his son's love of crisps and fizzy drinks in the past, told fans to 'drink water' instead. And player power has been increasingly evident at the Euros after Paul Pogba snubbed a bottle of Heineken following France's win over Germany.
Italy's Manuel Locatelli copies Cristiano Ronaldo by snubbing Coca-Cola at Euro 2020
Italy midfielder Manuel Locatelli became the latest player to snub the fizzy drink and opt for water instead as he showed up for his post-match press conference after his two-goal display
Italy star Manuel Locatelli has become the latest player to snub Euro 2020 sponsors Coca Cola at a press conference following his team’s victory over Switzerland. In the obligatory post-match press conference, Locatelli arrived to discuss his starring display with a bottle of water, placed it in front of his microphone and moved the two bottles of Coca Cola away.
Locatelli wasn’t the first person to shun a bottle away at a press conference – he followed the lead of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and France’s Paul Pogba in recent days.
It all started when Ronaldo arrived for his pre-match press conference before his side’s opening match against Hungary – he moved two bottles of Coca Cola away after staring at it with disgust, and proclaimed the healthier alternative, water.
UEFA Has A Problem: Pogba Emulates Ronaldo And Angers Heineken
THIS TIME, UNLIKE COCA-COLA WITH RONALDO’S REJECT, ITS STOCKS ARE NOT GOING DOWN, BUT UP
A dangerous trend is taking place at the beginning of the Euros with some of the sponsors of the tournament. Brands that spend millions for the most important UEFA event at the national team level are being denigrated by soccer stars. It happened on Monday with Cristiano Ronaldo and Coca-Cola, and Tuesday the same thing happened again.
This time it was Paul Pogba, named MVP of the match against Germany, who during the press conference in which he received the award, removed a bottle of Heineken that was in front of him along with two other bottles of Coca-Cola and a bottle of water. It's obvious that there's a problem that UEFA has to put a stop to soccer stars damaging the image of its sponsors, otherwise it may have serious problems for them. Curiously, Heineken is the brand that presents the player of the match award during the Euros.
Ironically, unlike what happened with Coca-Cola, for Heineken this gesture hasn’t led to a financial crisis. On the contrary, the brewery's shares have risen 1.3 points on the day after Pogba's gesture, which came as something of a surprise to stock market experts.
Paul Pogba removes Heineken beer bottle after Cristiano Ronaldo's Coca-Cola snub
Paul Pogba was named man of the match as France beat Germany 1-0 in Euro 2020 on Tuesday
France midfielder Paul Pogba removes a bottle of Heineken beer at post-match news conference following Euro 2020 win against Germany on Tuesday; on Monday, Cristiano Ronaldo discarded Coca-Coca bottles, instead encouraging people to drink water.
Paul Pogba removed a bottle of Heineken beer that had been placed in front of him at a Euro 2020 news conference on Tuesday, a day after Cristiano Ronaldo moved aside Coca-Cola bottles in a similar set-up.
France midfielder Pogba, a practising Muslim, removed the bottle - which happened to be a non-alcoholic version - when he spoke to the media after he was named man of the match in France's 1-0 Group F win over Germany in Munich.
After Cristiano Ronaldo, France's Paul Pogba Snubs Euro 2020 Sponsor Heineken
Pogba, a practicing muslim, removed the bottle of Heineken placed in front of him during press interaction
France midfielder and Manchester United player Paul Pogba became the latest footballer to snub a sponsor at the ongoing UEFA European Championship.
Pogba, a practicing muslim, removed the bottle of Heineken placed in front of him during his press interaction. Heineken is a major sponsor and a popular beer brand.
Although the bottle displayed at the press interaction was a non-alcoholic drink but Pogba removed it from the table as it clashed with his religious beliefs. The incident happened post France's 1-0 win over Germany. Pogba was named man of the match.
