If you have seen an EC match this summer, you have probably noticed the big brand names that characterize the billboards and TV broadcasts. This is naturally very good “business” for the European football association Uefa, which expects the championship to generate over 2.4 billion euros in revenue, mainly from TV and sponsorship deals. But in a recent report, Play the Game, an organization that works for transparency and democracy in international sport, goes merciless to work when describing Uefa’s choice of sponsors. – Doubts about Uefa’s credibility The Chinese companies Alipay, BYD, AliExpress and Vivo in particular, as well as VisitQatar, are gaining momentum. “Some of these sponsors cause serious concern and cast doubt on Uefa’s credibility and ethical standards,” the report states. GRANSKA EURO SPONSORS: Stanis Elsborg in Play the Game. Photo: Thomas Søndergaard / PlayTheGame news has offered the five named companies to comment on the criticism against them, but has not yet received a reply. “The sponsors are linked to a wide range of controversial issues, such as allegations of labor abuse of Uyghurs, pornographic content for minors to illegal subsidies, political interference and basic human rights violations,” they write further. EM 2024’s 13 main sponsors AdidasAliExpressAlipayBetanoBooking.comBYD Company LimitedCoca-ColaEngelbert StraussHisenseLidlOptoelectronicsQatar TourismVivo Of these, 5 are from China: Hisense, Alipay, Vivo, AliExpress and BYD. Source: Uefa – Surprise me Stanis Elsborg is the man behind the report. In front of news, he states that he made the discoveries he made in bed. – It surprised me how many problematic cases are connected to the Chinese sponsors at this year’s EC, and that Uefa more or less seems to have turned a blind eye, he says to news. STAR HEAVY: The European Championship is full of big stars, with whom brands pay dearly to be associated. Photo: AFP In the report he writes that “the list of EC sponsors raises critical questions about Uefa’s ethical assessment of their partners”. Elborg believes that ethical consideration has apparently not played a big enough role in the negotiation room where the agreements were concluded. – Uefa makes good money on these agreements. Isn’t it understandable that they choose the partners who pay the best? – Yes, one could say that Uefa had been a purely commercial player. But Uefa is a member organization that must live up to the values they claim to represent. I find it difficult to imagine that Uefa cannot find sponsors that reflect to a greater extent the organisation’s own proclaimed values, especially for one of the most sought-after sponsorship positions in the sporting world, he says. THE ADVERTISING POSTERS ARE IMPRESSED: The Chinese sponsors have been very visible in the EC. Photo: AP – Will be given up He reacts particularly to Uefa accepting such sponsorship agreements when in 2022 they entered into an agreement with the European Commission to “promote European values through the power of football”. – It sends a signal that the organization prioritizes profit over ethics and human rights, which undermined their credibility, he believes. Vegard Arntsen, who is the day-to-day manager of Sponsor Insight, has read the report from Play The Game. He is stunned by what comes up. – One is disappointed that players as large as Uefa cannot be willing to give up a few millions in order to keep the moral compass intact. It is a legal company that sponsors the EC, and in that sense you can’t blame them, but here in Norway we have examples of people who have made ethical choices and said no to that type of actor. One could have hoped that Uefa would do the same. GETTING CRITIC: Uefa’s choice of sponsors has been debated. Photo: AP – Play the Game owes Uefa for choosing profit over ethics. Do you think that claim holds water? – Yes. Because it is quite clear that these companies have been willing to pay more than anyone else. And there is no shortage of companies interested in being associated with a football European Championship. And those companies, which are not necessarily as attractive to bring in as EC sponsors, they have to pay a little more to get in. Then it may be that there will be such a large financial difference that Uefa simply does not feel that they have any choice. – But isn’t it understandable that Uefa will choose those who give the most money? – Yes, it is. But at the same time, Uefa is not an organization with private owners looking for maximum profit. After all, it is an organization for football in Europe, and that money should only be spent on football products. It would probably have been in the interest of all of Football Europe to say “we can manage with a little less, as long as we have the morale in place”. Uefa: – We are not a political actor news has presented the criticism for Uefa, both from the Play the Game report and from this case. In an e-mail, they reply as follows: – We at Uefa fully accept our social responsibility as set out in our strategy for environmental and social management. We are still an organization for football associations and not a political actor. Uefa’s national team competitions and especially the EC are global events that are followed by fans all over the world and therefore also attract brands that reach out to a global audience, writes Uefa. Read their full response here: Uefa’s response to the criticism “We at Uefa fully accept our social responsibility as set out in our strategy for environmental and social management. However, we are an organization for football associations and not a political actor. Uefa’s national team competitions and especially the EC are global events that are followed by fans all over the world and therefore also attract brands that reach out to a global audience, writes Uefa. We are committed to open dialogue with stakeholders and partners, who share the same vision as we have for our competitions and are willing to join us in promoting the game of football and its development – which is our area of expertise and our mission – and look forward to working together with all our partners to make EC 2024 a global success story. As highlighted in our recent joint announcement with the German football association DFB, UEFA takes the issue of human rights very seriously. Since the start of the tournament, Uefa, DFB and our partners have been clear that European Championship 2024 will be a sporting event that commits to human rights as a contributing factor to the success of the tournament. Together with all relevant stakeholders, a framework and all processes have been designed to uphold and protect human rights at the tournament, and will be implemented for all involved in the tournament as outlined in the human rights statement for the tournament. All actions in the declaration are in line with the internationally recognized and UN guiding principles for business and human rights.” Source: Uefa in an email to news. news shows the sponsors The news broadcasts have also several times during the EC shown the sponsors who receive criticism in the Play the Game report. news’s sports editor Espen Olsen Langfeldt says that the media house has no choice. – We are obliged through the legal agreement with Uefa to show their sponsor posters. We early investigated with UEFA whether we can assess ourselves who we want to expose, and have been refused, as long as the marketing is permitted in accordance with Norwegian legislation. It is also important to emphasize that news does not receive sponsorship for this exposure, says Olsen Langfeldt. Play the Game-Elsborg is excited about the continuation. When asked by news if he thinks Uefa will take the criticism to heart and tie up other types of sponsors when the EC is to be played in four years’ time, he answers as follows: – It would be nice, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. We are nevertheless open to dialogue with Uefa about how they can include ethical consideration in their future work. There is a need for it, not only at Uefa, but also at many other sports organisations, he believes. Vegard Arntsen in Sponsor Insight fears that Uefa, by choosing controversial sponsors, has put itself in a difficult position before the upcoming championships. – I think other big brands might want to ask themselves whether they want to be associated with the other companies on the sponsor list. So it is a potential problem. Uefa will soon have a self-reinforcing need for this type of sponsorship. Because that has actually made the distance to the other possible sponsors a little bigger, he says. Published 04/07/2024, at 20.54
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– One will be given up – Football European Championship 2024
