Storm brewing with Euro 2020 sponsors as Cristiano Ronaldo ducks out of Portugal press conferences | OneFootball

Storm brewing with Euro 2020 sponsors as Cristiano Ronaldo ducks out of Portugal press conferences | OneFootball

Icon: caughtoffside

caughtoffside

·18 June 2021

Storm brewing with Euro 2020 sponsors as Cristiano Ronaldo ducks out of Portugal press conferences

Article image:Storm brewing with Euro 2020 sponsors as Cristiano Ronaldo ducks out of Portugal press conferences

When one of the most famous personalities on the planet decides to besmirch your brand in front of millions, it’s never going to go down well.

That’s the situation which Coca Cola faced when Portugal captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, addressed the press recently.


OneFootball Videos


As he prepared to take questions, he purposefully move two bottles of the drink out of camera shot and replaced it with water, leading to suggestions that he’d wiped up to £4bn off of the share price of the company in so doing.

Given that the brand is a major sponsor of the tournament, and many other UEFA/FIFA tournaments besides, Ronaldo’s stance won’t be received well in the corridors of power.

The player appears to be standing his ground, however, as the Daily Telegraph report that he’s now rescinded Portugal press conference duties to avoid having to play out the same scenario again.

Known as fastidiously healthy in all aspects of his life, he even admonished his own son in front of hundreds of people during a recent interview in Dubai for drinking Coca Cola and eating chips and fries.

It’s difficult to see that he will change his stance, even if it means a fine because of an abdication of his responsibilities.

View publisher imprint