ENGLAND players are in revolt over their contractual requirement to promote alcohol on behalf of the FA. David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen are among the stars objecting to the use of their images to market Carlsberg, the Danish beer that is one of the FA’s five commercial partners. The company is finding it increasingly difficult to secure the services of the big-name players, who are reacting to changing social trends and a new culture within football that is less dominated by post-match drinking.
The situation is understood to be difficult for the FA, which received £20 million from Carlsberg as part of a £100 million multi-partner sponsorship package that expires after the 2006 World Cup. Under the agreement, the five sponsors are allowed access to at least three members of the England squad at a time on a rotation system. There is already disquiet among some sponsors — particularly Nationwide — about whether they are getting value for money.
McDonald’s, Pepsi and Umbro are the other three sponsors. Carlsberg is a principal backer of football, as a Uefa partner and the shirt sponsor of Liverpool. “Someone should point out to Gerrard and Owen what name they are wearing on their chests every week for Liverpool,” a source said. “Do they refuse to play for their club? No, of course not.”
It is generally accepted that the FA partners programme will not be renewed in its present form. The deal, constructed by Adam Crozier when he was FA chief executive, was controversial for its unrealistic expectations about the amount of time England players had outside club and personal commitments. The furore stirred existing club versus country tensions and led to the departure of Crozier.
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MINDFUL of an eroding market, Carlsberg is jealously guarding its position as an official Euro 2004 sponsor — for which it has paid more than £15 million. Holland fans at the Germany game were dismayed to have their orange, red, white and blue roeptoeters whipped off their heads as they entered the stadium. The hats bore the logo of Heineken, a rival Dutch brewer. The (over) reaction mirrors the small-mindedness of Telstra at the rugby union World Cup in Australia.
Stewards at the Telstra Stadium in Sydney and the Telstra Dome in Melbourne were ordered to cut off the corners of England supporters’ George Cross flags because they carried a small O2 symbol. Carlsberg could give the Oranje fans something to put over their roeptoeters. Maybe Carlsberg don’t do hats, but if they did surely they would be the best hats in the world?
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CARLSBERG does have something to smile about though as Uefa breaks records for television viewing around Europe and online access to its website. Unlike previous tournaments, Euro 2004 sponsors have been reserved the “break bumpers” — the moments the programme enter and exit the advertising breaks — giving them greater exposure. Nigel Currie, a director at The Gem Group, the sports marketing company, estimates a 30 per cent increase in commercial revenue for Uefa since Euro 2000. The collective investment of the eight official sponsors is about £300 million.
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THOSE poor Russians. As if having their goalkeeper sent off against Portugal and knowing they are homeward-bound after two losses were not enough, the team have been charged by Uefa for wearing warm-up tops with unauthorised manufacturer and sponsor logos.
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YA BOO sucks to eBay for not having a sense of humour. The online auction site has pulled an item posted by an England supporter who started the bidding for Emile Heskey’s plane ticket home after the 2-1 defeat to France. Interest levels soared with one fan offering close to £2,000 to repatriate the man who conceded “that free kick” to the peerless Zinedine Zidane.
“Any excess will fund a coach trip for David James,” the seller promised. OK, so it was cruel but so was having to sit through those excruciating three minutes of injury time. Heskey should have been pleased he commanded such a high price. Other items on the site relating to him were a signed picture going for £4.99 and a Sainsbury’s Euro 2004 coin, for which the highest bid was 1p.
ashling.oconnor@thetimes.co.uk