It will become a micro-event, awaited and watched like the new episode of a soap opera, at each new press conference: what will the players do with the bottles from the official sponsors placed in front of them? After Ronaldo whose sidelining of two bottles of Coca-Cola had a worldwide echo, after the Heineken beer moved by Paul Pogba, it is the turn of the Italian Locatelli to have this Wednesday evening, after the success of Italy against Switzerland (3-0) where he managed a double, to have put aside the soda of the famous American brand to put forward a bottle of water.
For sponsors who pay nearly 40M €, this is starting to do a lot. This Thursday, requested to react, the press service of the UEFA referred us in its first time to its first comment about the gesture of Ronaldo: “no disciplinary procedure will be opened against him. Everyone is free to drink the drinks they prefer ”.
Then, in a response by email, the body told us that it had “reminded the participating teams that partnerships are an integral part of the tournament and make it possible to ensure the development of football across Europe, including for young people and women ”.
Quoted by Reuters, this Thursday afternoon, Martin Kallen, director of the Euro, spoke on the other hand of an “understanding” when it comes to a gesture linked to a “religious belief”, as it could be the case with Paul Pogba and the alcoholic drink he moved.
As for the brands involved and in particular Coca-Cola, the slogan was, this Thursday afternoon, to remain silent and not to react.
The scope of these gestures which, like the movement of the knees to the ground to protest against discrimination, underline a form of stance against a certain category of food, questions despite everything. “This is the start of something,” assures an actor in the sponsorship economy? Another regrets that “the players forget that such tournaments are also made possible by the investment of partners”. “You may not like a brand, there is a minimum of respect to be had,” he adds. It is not up to the players to make their own law or to choose the setting ”.
In the meantime, the series of Coca-Cola bottles is therefore likely to continue.
Like the coach of Russia Stanislas Cherchesov who, questioned to find out what he thought of Ronaldo’s gesture, responded by decapping and then drinking a large sip of Coke, thus making a rather unexpected promotion of the American drink.
This Thursday evening, new episode with the very noticed intervention of the Ukrainian striker Andriy Yarmolenko at a press conference after the victory of his team against North Macedonia (2-1).
He grabbed the bottles, saying he had “seen Ronaldo do that”. “I want to put the bottles of Coca-Cola here and that of beer there,” he said, bringing them closer, unlike the Portuguese. Then, all smiles and proud of his blow, he concluded: “Now, Coca-Cola and Heineken, call me! “
