England sponsor Lucozade PULLS all branding from World Cup and bans bottles in snub to Qatar
ENGLAND sponsors Lucozade has pulled all its branding from the World Cup in a snub to Qatar.
The drinks maker says its bottles will not be seen at matches, in training or at press conferences following rows over the Gulf state’s brutal laws.
Harry Kane and his teammates will still be given drinks but they will carry no branding or logos.
The firm said today: “Lucozade is a proud long-term sponsor of the England team but we are not an official Fifa World Cup partner.
“We continue to support all England teams, who celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion.
“While the England team have access to our drinks for hydration purposes we will not have a brand presence at press conferences, training session or on pitches.”
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England flew into Doha on a Gay Pride jet, showing the red card to Qatar‘s anti-LGBT laws.
Homosexuality still carries the death penalty in the repressive Muslim state.
Campaigners also slammed Qatar’s abysmal record on human rights and the conditions of migrant workers who built the stadiums.
Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate vowed to take a stand, and will also allow players to speak out against the hosts.
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He said it was “highly unlikely” he would follow Fifa’s guidance to focus solely on football during the tournament.
He said: “We’re very strong on inclusivity. We understand the challenges that this tournament brings . . . the human rights challenges.
“We’ve always spoken about issues we think should be talked about, particularly ones we feel we can affect.”
Kane has already shown support for the LGBTQ+ community by wearing a rainbow armband while playing for his club, Spurs.
The World Cup kicks off on Sunday but has already been rocked by controversy.
Today it emerged the Qatari royal family ordered stadiums to ban the sale of alcohol, U-turning on a deal with Fifa.
Tournament sponsors Buddweiser hit back with a brilliant tweet which was later deleted.
It said: “Well, this is awkward…”
Only Bud Zero will be allowed at the eight match venues.
It means that the only official World Cup site where fans can have a drink will be the Doha city centre official Fan Festival.
A Bud there costs almost £12 – and punters get less than a pint as it’s served in 500ml glasses.
Alcohol is legal in Qatar but is normally only sold inside Western hotels where fans face paying up to £80 a pint.
The cheapest boozer we found sells beer for £7.60 but fish and chips will set you back £20.
But fans were warned they face being flogged or sent to jail for minor offences.
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Russia’s 2018 World Cup struggled to find brands willing to be associated with it following the Fifa bribery scandal and protests at Putin’s regime.
Sony, Johnson & Johnson and Castrol pulled out of sponsoring the tournament as revenue fell by £179million from Brazil 2014.