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Analysts claim Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba's removal of Coca-Cola and Heineken bottles during Euro 2020 press conferences demonstrated that athletes are rejecting sponsors' products that do not align with their personal ideals.
Analysts claim Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba's removal of Coca-Cola and Heineken bottles during Euro 2020 press conferences demonstrated that athletes are rejecting sponsors' products that do not align with their personal ideals.
He slid the bottle out of view of the cameras before exclaiming, "Agua!" in Portuguese, as if to encourage people to choose the natural option instead.
After scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Hungary, Ronaldo became the all-time leading scorer in European Championship history.
The next day, during his news conference, France midfielder Paul Pogba, who is Muslim and does not drink alcohol, made a similar gesture by withdrawing a bottle of Heineken beer. It didn't matter that it was a non-alcoholic version because the message was still clear.
Athletes appear to be reclaiming their voice in a new era. Professor Simon Chadwick, head of Emlyon Business School's Centre for the Eurasian Sport Industry, said, "They seem to reserve the right now to say and conduct in ways that are compatible with what they think, what they feel, and what their values are."
Ronaldo has a history of endorsing sugary soft drinks; in fact, in the mid-2000s, he conducted promotional work for Coca-Cola in China and has also worked for Pepsi.
But, according to Chadwick, the Portuguese superstar was openly stating: “As an individual, I have the personal right to move on from whatever I did in the past.”
“I have the right to change my mind, to change my values, and to object to items that are inconsistent with who I am or what I am attempting to represent.”
Social media's reach provides such protests more clout than ever before.
“It's what I call side-swipe activism,” Chadwick explained.
“Whether you're online or offline, if there's something in front of you that you don't like or that doesn't correspond with your beliefs, you just move it out of the way.”
According to some accounts, Ronaldo's gesture led Coca-stock Cola's price to drop by $4 billion at one point, although many analysts believe the striker was not to blame.
The shares of the drinks giant concluded 0.25 percent lower, according to Gregori Volokhine, President of Meeschaert Financial Services in New York, in keeping with the overall drop in the Dow Jones that day.
“With a market value of $235 billion, that equates to a little more than $500 million. If there hadn't been a scandal, we wouldn't have noticed,” Volokhine remarked.
So, what does it mean for companies when top athletes refuse to endorse the products of sponsors that pay tens of millions of dollars to be connected with an event like Euro 2020?
Bertrand Chovet, CEO of Brand Finance France, said, "It's too early to say."
“However, product placement these days could be more complex. However, because these sponsors benefit the players, they behave in a little contradictory manner.”
Coca-Cola and Heineken did not answer AFP's request for comment, but Martin Kallen, UEFA's tournament director, said: "The sponsors' profits are vital for the tournament and for European football."
Such protests, according to Chadwick, are a major nuisance for sponsors.
“This is a significant challenge since for sponsors, the two extremes are likely the only way ahead. Either you remove all the logos or you pursue the contractual rights that come with a sponsorship deal,” he said.
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