Paul Pogba Now Snubs a Sponsor, Removes Heineken Beer Bottle During Euro 2020 Press Conference

French star midfielder Paul Pogba became the latest sports celebrity to be in mood to snub a competition sponsor after he removed a bottle of Heineken beer from his press conference. The European Championships have a variety of sponsors, including Dutch beverage giants Heineken. But the star midfielder, who follows Islam, didn’t seem pleased with the bottle placed in front of him. Even though the bottle placed on the table was actually an alcohol-free version of the popular beer brand, the 28-year-old was less peeved but saw fit to remove the bottle as it clashes with his beliefs as a Muslim.

In the last match against Germany, Pogba guided his side to a 1-0 win at the European Championships. Pogba was named Man of the Match after his superb pass helped create the Mats Hummels’ own goal that gave the French side victory in their opening Group F tie.

The Manchester United midfielder converted to Islam in 2019 and on numerous occasions has articulated his religious beliefs. The most recent being during the holy month of Ramzan, when he went on to continue with a Europa League tie despite being on fast. In 2017, Pogba took to Twitter to publicly state that he doesn’t consume alcohol in any form.

https://twitter.com/paulpogba/status/893786564618326017

Meanwhile, the French player’s move comes a day after Portugal and Juventus’ striker Cristiano Ronaldo removed two soft drinks bottles from his table during a press meet. During the press conference an apparently testy Ronaldo removed two bottles of another sponsor Coca-Cola placed in front of him prior to Portugal’s game against Hungary. The talismanic striker smoothly cast them aside, before holding up a bottle of water and urged people to consume “aqua” instead.

The video quickly went viral on social media, as his followers praised the footballer’s obsession with fitness. However, his move has reportedly shaved off approximately USD 4 billion dip in the beverage company’s stock value.

It remains to be seen whether Heineken will respond to French star’s removal of their beverage from the post-match press event. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola in response to Ronaldo’s move said, that “everyone is entitled to their drink preferences”, DailyMail reported.

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here.