Cristiano Ronaldo is at risk of not being able to participate in the Euro 2024 quarter-final match between Portugal and France due to violating the Organizing Committee’s advertising copyright regulations.
According to The Sun (UK) , Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo is facing the risk of being investigated by the European Football Federation (UEFA) for alleged “ambush marketing” at Euro 2024.
The incident stemmed from Ronaldo ‘s partnership with fitness company WHOOP – when this unit published his heart rate data during the match against Slovenia on July 2 on social media.
Fitness company WHOOP published Ronaldo’s heart rate data on social media, putting the Portuguese striker at risk of being banned from the Euro 2024 quarter-finals (Photo: The Sun).
According to former global head of brand sponsorships for Visa and Coca Cola, Ricardo Fort, “ambush marketing” is an unacceptable practice where a company tries to associate its product or service with an event that already has an official sponsor.
Former Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner broke these rules when he celebrated a goal for Denmark at Euro 2012 by flashing his Paddy Power underwear. Bendtner was subsequently banned for one match and fined £80,000.
Therefore, Mr. Ricardo Fort believes that Ronaldo must receive a similar punishment, which means he must miss the Euro 2024 quarter-final match between Portugal and France on July 6.
Ronaldo cried after missing a penalty in extra time during the match between Portugal and Slovenia on July 2 (Photo: Getty).
“WHOOP’s post refers to Ronaldo in a UEFA match, using the names of the two national teams playing, the score and a player on the pitch. They are implicitly implying a connection to the event and that is illegal,” Mr. Fort expressed on social media about why Ronaldo should receive appropriate punishment.
Mr. Fort went on to assert that if the data was collected during home workouts, then in his view, there would be no problem.
WHOOP is not an official sponsor of UEFA. However, it is not yet clear whether this governing body has decided to open an investigation into the incident involving Ronaldo and his sponsor partner.
