Ronaldo Accused of Ambush Marketing, Faces Possible Ban

Cristiano Ronaldo is facing allegations of “ambush marketing” after his heart rate data was shared on social media during Portugal’s penalty shootout win over Slovakia.

The practice involves a company trying to associate their product with an event that has official sponsors, without permission.

Ronaldo wore a device from fitness company WHOOP, which tracks heart rate and other metrics. WHOOP published his heart rate data from the shootout, showing his heart rate dropped before scoring and spiked to 180 bpm during the winning kick.

Ricardo Fort, former global sponsorship head at Visa and Coca-Cola, called this a clear case of ambush marketing, suggesting fines for both Ronaldo and WHOOP.

He wrote, “This chart has been circulating today. Cristiano and WHOOP is ambush marketing to Euro 2024. It is illegal and both the player and the company should be fined”.

In response to queries by fans, Fort 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.”

Fort stated that the data shared from a UEFA match implies an unauthorized association with the event. He also claimed the data was collected from a home workout.

WHOOP is not an official UEFA sponsor, and it is unclear if UEFA will investigate. Similar cases in the past have led to fines and bans, putting Ronaldo’s Euro 2024 further participation at potential risk.