Paul Pogba is definitely the star of this Euro both outside and on the pitch. UEFA has decided not to take the risk of a new “marketing” controversy in this Euro 2021 with its “alcohol” sponsor, Heineken. Players of Muslim faith now have the opportunity to request the removal of beer bottles from their desks at a press conference, UEFA confirmed to us this Friday morning. It was the Daily Telegraph which first reported this decision, which was verified after the Portugal-France match, during the interview with Karim Benzema where no bottle of beers was visible.
UEFA therefore informed the national teams that if their players or their coach wished to oppose the presence of the beer bottle for religious reasons, they could request that it be removed from the desk. The European organization still has nightmares because of the gesture of Paul Pogba who, after the France-Germany match (1-0) on June 15, had withdrawn the Heineken bottle placed in front of him like the previous gesture of Cristiano Ronaldo who had removed a bottle of Coca-Cola from his desk. Two gestures which provoked heated controversy and even had an impact on stock market prices.
VIDEO. Euro 2021: Pogba removes a bottle of beer before answering journalists’ questions
Heineken, whose annual sponsorship contract with UEFA is close to 40 million euros, had specified – by way of crisis communication – that its bottles of beer at the Euro were “alcohol-free” and were intended ” to help consumers reduce their consumption ”. UEFA had initially warned the selections that their players had to respect the regulations and the “contributions” of the sponsors. But Martin Kallen, director of the Euro, had already mentioned on the other hand an “understanding” when it comes to a gesture linked to a “religious belief”, as could be the case with Paul Pogba and the alcoholic drink that he moved. An astonishing choice, however, on the part of the institution which in the controversy around LGBT issues during Germany-Hungary had officially positioned itself as a “politically and religiously neutral organization”.
