England's Gareth Southgate explains why he didn't move Coke bottles like Cristiano Ronaldo | OneFootball

Euro 2020 has been bizarrely consumed by Coca Cola-related controversy.

Coca Cola controversy

It feels like every other press conference at UEFA's flagship tournament has been gripped by the aftermath of Cristiano Ronaldo's decision to move the product that made Coke a worldwide brand.

In the build up to Portugal's 3-0 win over Hungary, the Juventus superstar made headlines around the globe for moving Coca Cola bottles aside and instead encouraging people to drink water.

Since then, everything has happened from Manuel Locatelli imitating Ronaldo to both John McGinn and Andriy Lomachenko seeing the funnier side of things and joking about the incident.

Netherlands 2-0 Austria Highlight Show (Football Terrace)

The larger sponsorship debate

However, it's about time that we all zoomed out a little bit and really considered the broader debate going on here because it's far more complex than merely decorating press conferences.

Besides, you only have to look at the fact that Coke's market value reportedly dropped by $4 billion on the back of Ronaldo's gesture to see that this is more than just a practical joke.

And one of the finest contributions to the sponsor debate has been offered by England manager Gareth Southgate during his press conference ahead of the blockbuster clash with Scotland.

Southgate gives his two cents

Southgate, ever the eloquent orator, perfectly broke down why sponsorship is ultimately integral to the beautiful game, while also acknowledging the potential risk with promoting certain products.

According to ESPN, Southgate said: "I think there are lots of sponsors in sport and the impact of their money at all levels helps sport to function, particularly grassroots sport in our country requires a lot of investment and without some of those companies investing, it is very difficult to provide the facilities we need.

"With anything, of course, we are mindful in our country of obesity and health but everything can be done in moderation. Anything you take part in or partake in moderation is rarely a problem.

"I understand the concerns that people have and two guys had different rationale for the stances they took but there's always a bigger picture to these things."

Harry Kane in complete agreement

A very measured response from Southgate whether you agree or not, but the England boss at least has one person in his corner and that comes in the form of his very own captain: Harry Kane.

The Tottenham Hotspur forward was also at the presser and chipped in by saying: "I totally agree. The sponsors are entitled to have what they want if they have paid the money to do so.

"It is not something personally I've thought too much about. Obviously I've seen it go around on social media but if I'm totally honest I'm more focused on tomorrow than anything like that."

But our question is: do you agree? Be sure to let us know across our social channels because at this rate, it's hard to imagine a world in which the controversy is simply bottled up. We'll see ourselves out...