Ronaldo vulnerable to UEFA probe as he is accused of ‘ambush advertising and marketing’

Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of ‘ambush marketing’ after his heart rate data during Portugal’s dramatic penalty shootout win over Slovakia was shared on social media. 

The illegal practice sees a company attempt to associate their product or services with an event that already has official sponsors. A notable example came during Euro 2012 when Nicklas Bendtner pulled up his shirt during a goal celebration to reveal a pair of Paddy Power branded underpants. 

The Dane was fine £80,000 and banned for one competitive international fixture by the governing body. 

In this case, a spotlight has been shone on Ronaldo’s collaboration with the fitness company WHOOP, who design wearable devices that track a range of measures including your heart rate, athletic performance, and sleep score.

The 39-year-old is wearing one of their devices during Euro 2024 and his heart rate data from Portugal’s penalty shootout win was published by the company on Tuesday. 

Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of ‘ambush marketing’ after his heart rate data was published

The 39-year-old’s heart rate was shown to be at its lowest during the shootout just before he converted his spot kick 

Nicklas Bendtner was fine £80,000 and banned for one competitive match after revealing Paddy Power pants during a goal celebration at Euro 2012

However, according to Ricardo Fort – the former head of global sponsorships at Visa and Coca-Cola – the post was a clear example of ambush marketing and should be met with a fine for both player and company. 

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

Responding to queries from users on the platform 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.’

Fort went on to claim that had the data been collected during a home workout, in his view, now issue would have arisen. 

WHOOP’s post showed the former Manchester United star ‘entered a flow state and dropped his heart rate’ moments before he scored the first of Portugal’s three spot kicks in the shootout.

According to Ricardo Fort, the former head of global sponsorships at Visa and Coca-Cola , the post was a clear example of ambush marketing

WHOOP claimed that Ronaldo ‘entered flow state’ just before taking his kick, while his heart rate surged when Bernardo Silva hit the winner

No data was provider for Ronaldo’s penalty miss or for when he broke down in tears during half-time of extra-time

It then rose to 180bpm when Bernardo Silva confidently dispatched the winning kick that sent Roberto Martinez’s side through to the quarter-final. Ronaldo was wearing the WHOOP 4.0 strap under some wrist strapping. 

‘Sometimes it’s hard and difficult to score penalties,’ Ronaldo told Portuguese broadcaster RTP after the match, getting emotional again. 

‘I’ve scored more than 200 penalties in my career. Sometimes it’s a mess.’ 

He added: ‘We showed the enthusiasm that we still have to play, to have fun, to give joy to the fans and that’s it, this is our life

Interestingly, the data revealed was only partial, on an evening that proved to be particularly eventful for the veteran striker. 

There was no information on what happened when he missed a penalty in extra-time, when he broke down in tears at the break or when Slovenia looked certain to dump Portugal out of the competition, when Benjamin Sesko was clean through on goal at the end of the clash. 

In the case of the former Arsenal striker Bendtner, UEFA came down incredibly hard on him following his action more than a decade ago. 

The forward’s involvement in Portugal’s Euro 2024 campaign could be at risk if a probe is launched

A similar punishment could see Ronaldo’s involvement in Portugal’s Euro 2024 campaign in some doubt. 

WHOOP are not an official UEFA sponsor. The governing body have not responded to Mail Sport’s inquiry over whether they had launched an investigation into the matter.