After France’s Paul Pogba moved away Heineken beverage bottles during a press conference in Euro 2020, the placement of alcoholic brands in front of Muslim players has been a talking point. According to The Telegraph, Heineken will not keep products in front of Muslim players in the remaining games of the tournament.
As per this report, players and managers that are currently part of Euro 2020 will be consulted regarding the placement of Heineken products during the press conferences. Since alcohol is forbidden from consumption or promotion in Islam, Pogba removed the bottle while talking to the media. Apart from Pogba, his compatriot Karim Benzema also reportedly removed Heineken bottles while talking to media this week after 2-2 draw against Portugal.
Heineken’s decision comes after UEFA reportedly reminded teams to respect sponsorship duties during post-match interviews with the media. Cristiano Ronaldo started the trend by removing Coca-Cola bottles from his vicinity, which became a talking point across the world. Coca-Cola reportedly saw a dip in share value after this incident. Italian midfielder Manuel Locatelli also removed Coca-Cola from his bench while talking to the media. In other press conferences throughout the tournament, Ronaldo’s gesture became the talking point.
Coca-Cola has reportedly not made a decision like Heineken. However, Heineken’s decision is a welcome move to make sure that the brand doesn’t get a bad image by forcefully keeping it in front of Muslim players. It is a welcome move that will also help players from awkward moments during press conferences.
Heineken gets a lot of coverage on the pitch and other areas during the entire Euro 2020, so making this gesture is hardly going to affect their other activations during the tournament. The beverage brand could in fact paint themselves as a good brand in the public eye by making this decision. Moreover, half the tournament is already completed as knockout stages are set to begin from Saturday.