Sponsors unlikely to drop Wayne Rooney
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Sponsors including Nike, Coca-Cola and EA Sports seem likely to stick by brand ambassador Wayne Rooney despite tabloid allegations that he had sex with a prostitute while his wife Coleen was pregnant.
The England and Manchester United footballer is said to have had several liaisons with the £1,200 a night prostitute Jenny Thompson.
Rooney is said to earn about £7.3m per year from endorsements.
He has appeared in several campaigns for Nike including its recent Write the Future World Cup campaign.
A Nike spokeswoman says its agreement with Rooney is not under threat.
“This is a private matter for Wayne and his family and we have no further comment to make at this time. We have worked with Wayne for seven years and he continues to be a Nike athlete,” she says.
Rooney is also a brand ambassador for Coca-Cola and has appeared in campaigns for its Powerade and Zero brands.
A Coca-Cola spokesperson says: “’This is a private matter for Wayne Rooney and his family. We will be making no further comment at this time.”
He also has a deal with EA Sports, which has used his image in computer games. A statement from the company says: “This is a personal matter and we respect Wayne and his family’s privacy. We have worked together for six years and Wayne continues to represent EA Sports. We will be making no further comment at this time.”
Rooney has travelled with the England squad and is expected to play a part in Tuesday’s (7 September) game against Switzerland.
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YouGov Insight:
Sport
· 78% of UK sport followers say that they follow football on the television, while 1 in 4 say that they follow football ‘live at the event’.
· 82% of men watch football on TV and a third go to live games. 72% of women watch football on TV but only 15% attend live.
· 35% of UK sport followers say that they watch rugby union on television, whereas only 20% say that they watch rugby league.
· Of those who watch live sport, 52% bought a snack the last time they were at an event while 43% said they bought an alcoholic drink.
· It’s a dead heat between those who prefer to watch sport from the comfort of their living room and those who like to be in the thick of the action at live events (24% each).
Click here for more information on this YouGov market report
Readers' comments (2)
Arse&Nose | Thu, 9 Sep 2010 6:19 pm
The largest audience for FIFA video games are children. Rooney is a disgrace, children need a positive role model not a half-wit chav ogre like Rooney.
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Anonymous | Fri, 10 Sep 2010 3:22 pm
I totally agree. I am so sick and tired of people idolising footballers who clearly have the lowest of morals and no concept of anything/one but themselves.
Sponsors refusing to drop big names like Wayne Rooney are simply okaying adultery and disgraceful behaviour like his and adding the over glorified label that goes with being a premiership footballer.
Footballers are supposed to be heroes. But the more and more they get paid and supported, the more they will get away with!
How can supporters, fans and sponsors be so ignorant?!
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