Cristiano Ronaldo is under investigation by UEFA for alleged “false advertising” following his social media post during Portugal’s dramatic penalty shootout win over Slovenia at Euro 2024. Ronaldo shared his heart rate data and mentioned the measurement company WHOOP, raising concerns about unauthorized advertising.

Background

Unfair advertising involves a company attempting to link its product or services to an event that already has official sponsors. A prominent example is from Euro 2012 when Nicklas Bendtner revealed Paddy Power-branded underwear during a goal celebration, resulting in an £80,000 fine and a one-match international ban by UEFA.

The Incident

Ronaldo’s partnership with WHOOP, a company that designs wearables to track metrics such as heart rate and athletic performance, is at the center of this controversy. During Euro 2024, WHOOP released Ronaldo’s heart rate data from Portugal’s penalty shootout win on their social media channels.

Expert Opinion

Ricardo Fort, former head of global sponsorships for Visa and Coca-Cola, criticized the post as a clear case of unfair advertising, advocating for fines against both Ronaldo and WHOOP. “This chart is out today,” Fort wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “It’s illegal and both the player and the company should be fined.”

Fort explained that the post’s use of UEFA match details, including the names of the national teams, the score, and a player, implies a connection with the organization, which is illegal. He added that the absence of a direct competitor as a sponsor is no reason to tolerate such infringements. Fort suggested that if the data had been collected during a practice session at home, the issue might not have arisen.

The Post

The WHOOP post indicated that Ronaldo “went into a state of flow and his heart rate dropped” shortly before scoring the first of Portugal’s three penalties in the shootout.

Conclusion

This incident underscores the importance of adhering to advertising regulations, especially during major sporting events with official sponsors. The investigation by UEFA will determine the consequences for Ronaldo and WHOOP.

SOURCE: ertnews.gr