Cristiano Ronaldo is embroiled in a controversy over Ambush marketing at Euro 2024.
The British Metro reported on the 5th (Korea time) that Ronaldo could be disciplined by the European Football Association (UEFA) on Ambusi marketing charges.
Ambush marketing is a marketing technique that is cleverly promoted by companies or brands that are not official sponsors of mega-events such as the Olympics, World Cup, and Euro in a way that avoids regulations, creates an atmosphere, rides on, and gives the impression of being a sponsor.
The problem this time is WHOOP, a wearable fitness technology company where Ronaldo is an investor and a brand ambassador. Ronaldo ran with a hoop device on his left wrist and taped against Portugal and Slovenia, and Hoop released Ronaldo's heart rate data on social media after Portugal beat Slovenia to reach the quarterfinals after a tough time.
Ronaldo shed tears after missing a decisive penalty in the first half of extra time, but he took the lead to the quarterfinals as the first kicker of the penalty shootout and succeeded neatly. According to the data released by Hoop, Ronaldo's heart rate jumped more than 170 times a minute after the whistle in the 90th minute of the first half, but it fell below 110bpm just before the penalty miss in the 14th minute of extra time. The data, which caught the attention of fans, has since faced accusations that Hoops is not an official sponsor of Euro 2024 or UEFA and that Ronaldo's Ambush marketing.
Ricardo Port, a former head of global sponsorship at VISA and Coca-Cola, urged UEFA to fine Ronaldo and Hoops in the case. Port unveils a graphic of Hoops' heart rate data, with this chart circulating " Ronaldo and Hoops are marketing Ambush at Euro 2024. This is illegal and both players and the company should be fined.' "This post is about UEFA matches and uses the names and scores of the two national teams playing and the names of the players on the field. This implies a connection to the game and is clearly illegal. There is no reason to tolerate copyright infringement just because there is no competitor" made a statement. UEFA also showed negative views when Danish striker Niklas Bentner exposed Paddy Power underwear in the goal ceremony against Portugal during Euro 2012. UEFA suspended one game and fined €100,000 for wearing and exposing personal sponsored brand underwear. At the time, Bentner was wearing only the lucky underwear he had worn even before the competition. I didn't know I was breaking the rules, but now I know." And the sponsor announced that he had paid the fine on behalf of Bentner.
