The Portuguese star was not thrilled with the fact that two Coca-Cola bottles were kept in front of him during the UEFA Euro 2020 pre-match press conference. As a result, he moved the Coke bottles out of view of the camera and replaced them with a bottle of water. Then he shouted “Agua,” urging everyone to drink water instead.
The 36-year-old footballer is renowned for being a health fanatic who has previously expressed his distaste for the carbonated soft drink.
Ever since the stunt, Coca-Cola’s market value has plummeted costing the company $4 billion in a blink of an eye. However, it was speculated that Ronaldo’s snub was to blame for the drop this week, despite the lack of evidence linking the two.
Following the action by Portugal’s captain, France’s Paul Pogba removed a bottle of Heineken beer that was placed in front of him during a Euro 2020 press conference. Pogba, a devout Muslim, sat down to chat with the media after being awarded ‘Man of the Match’ in France’s 1-0 Group F victory against Germany. For those who didn’t know, the player awards are sponsored by the brewer.
Then, on Wednesday, Manuel Locatelli, who led Italy to a 3-0 victory against Switzerland also followed in Ronaldo’s footsteps by doing the same gesture.
A Euro 2020 spokesperson came forward with a statement saying, “Everyone is entitled to their drink preferences.”
However, UEFA has ordered Euro 2020 players to refrain from removing sponsor bottles.
“It is important because the revenues of the sponsors are important for the tournament and for European football,” Euro 2020 tournament director Martin Kallen said in a press conference, according to Al-Jazeera.
Tournament regulations demand compliance to UEFA’s commitments to sponsors, albeit players with religious objections “do not need to have a bottle there.”
Coca-Cola and Heineken are two of the 12 top-tier sponsors for Euro 2020, contributing over 2 billion euros ($2.4 billion) to UEFA’s total tournament income.
Apart from the Coca-Cola spectacle, Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during his nation’s opening match versus Finland at Euro 2020 last Saturday in Copenhagen.
After Christian Eriksen’s shocking collapse, former Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that Denmark players did not want to resume their Euro 2020 match against Finland.
And so, they were “left with three options.”
“One was to play immediately and get the last 50 minutes played. The next one was to come in yesterday at 12 noon and finish the 50 minutes and the third option was to forfeit the game, 3-0. So work it out for yourself. Is it the players’ wish to play? Did they have any choice really? I don’t think they had,” Schmeichel said.
Pictures by REUTERS