A former sponsorship head has called for Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to be punished by UEFA for alleged “ambush marketing” at Euro 2024.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, currently participating in the European Championship, had a dramatic recent match. He missed a stoppage-time penalty in a last-16 clash with Slovenia, leaving him in tears, but later converted in a tense shootout.
Ronaldo is collaborating with fitness company WHOOP, which has released data from wearable devices monitoring his heart rate, athletic performance, and sleep score.
According to the data, Ronaldo “entered a flow state and dropped his heart rate” when taking the first penalty for Portugal, with his heart rate spiking to 180 bpm when Bernardo Silva scored the decisive spot-kick.
Ricardo Fort, former global sponsorship head at Visa and Coca-Cola, alleges that Ronaldo has violated UEFA regulations.
He posted on social media: “Cristiano and WHOOP is ambush marketing to Euro 2024. It is illegal and both the player and the company should be fined.”
He added: “The post is about a UEFA matches, uses the names of the two national teams playing, score, and a player on the field. They are implying an association with the event and that is illegal. Not having ‘a competitor as a sponsor’ isn’t a reason to tolerate infringements.”
If the data had been collected during home workouts, there would be no issue. UEFA has previously acted against “ambush marketing,” as seen when former Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner received an £80,000 fine and a one-game ban for revealing Paddy Power-branded underpants after scoring for Denmark at Euro 2012.