The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld a complaint against a Facebook ad by BetVictor that featured then-Barcelona footballers Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. The ASA found that the advertisement had breached the UK’s code of conduct because it was “likely to have strong appeal to under-18s”.
In its response to the ruling, BetVictor stated that it believed it had not breached the Code because “CAP’s guidance stated that where a person or character is used to illustrate a subject that has strong appeal to those under 18 years of age, its association with the subject was not a sole basis for the ASA to find an advertisement in violation of the Code”.
Furthermore, the bookmaker noted that none of the players was a star like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo; Furthermore, the players had not played a game against a Premier League team since 2019 – nor had they featured against Wales or England at the time the announcement went live.
However, the ASA concluded that the Code was breached, as the Code states since 2022 that “Marketing communications for game products must not be likely to be of strong appeal to children or young people, especially reflecting or being associated with the youth culture. Must not include a person or character whose example could be emulated by persons under the age of 18, or who have strong appeal to those under 18.”
Commenting on the ruling, Felix Faulkner, an attorney for Poppleston Allen, said: “This latest ruling gives us a clearer picture of which footballers the ASA considers to be captured by the new guidelines.”
“This is the first time we have had a decision on players playing for teams outside the UK, which broadens the scope beyond what the ASA has previously reviewed in terms of the Advertising Practice Committee (CAP) guidance that came into effect. in October of last year,” added Faulkner.
