Paul Pogba has become the latest footballer to snub official sponsors of Euro 2020 after the France star removed a bottle of Heineken beer placed in front of him at a press conference on Tuesday.
The player who is known to be a devout Muslim was seen moving the beer bottle from the table directly in front of him as he undertook media obligations following ‘s opening victory over on Tuesday night.
First Ronaldo with the Coca-Cola…
Now Paul Pogba wasn’t happy with the Heineken in front of him at his press conference 🍺❌ pic.twitter.com/SU1ifQPGOP
— Goal (@goal) June 16, 2021
For Muslims, is ‘haram‘ or forbidden, so the star’s removal of the bottle is likely to be due to his unwillingness to endorse the competition’s sponsor.
Pogba’s stance comes after Cristiano Ronaldo removed two bottles of Coca-Cola placed in front of him prior to Portugal’s game against Hungary.
The health-obsessed 36-year-old – who has previously revealed that it irritates him when his son drinks fizzy drinks – moved the two bottles away from his chair before shouting in Portuguese: ‘Drink water!’
He then took a water bottle and placed it in front of himself for the remainder of the interview, muttering ‘Coca-Cola‘ with noticeable disdain.
The player, one of the greatest footballers to have ever played the game, is notoriously fastidious about his diet and exercise regime
ISLAM AND ALCOHOL
Meanwhile, consumption of alcohol is forbidden (or known as ‘haram’) among Muslims. Muslims abstain from drinking alcohol because Prophet Muhammad, whom Muslims believe the word of God was revealed in the Qur’an, spoke against it.
The Qur’an says that alcohol’s potential for sin was ‘far greater‘ than its benefits.
Pogba became a Muslim in 2019, describing the decision as making him more ‘peaceful inside’, stressing;
It’s everything. That’s what makes me thankful for everything. It made me change, realise things in life. I guess, maybe, it makes me more peaceful inside.
It was a good change in my life because I wasn’t born a Muslim, even if my mum was. I just grew up like that, respect for everyone. Islam is not the image that everyone sees – terrorism… What we hear in the media is really something else, it’s something beautiful.
You get to know it. Anybody can find that he feels connected with Islam. It came because I have a lot of friends who are Muslim. We always talk.
I was questioning myself in a lot of things, then I started doing my own research. I prayed once with my friends and I felt something different. I felt really good.
Pogba has also visited Mecca, Islam’s place of pilgrimage, with fellow countryman and Chelsea star Kurt Zouma, posting on Instagram: ‘Never forget the important things in life.’
Read Also: Coca-Cola Responds After Cristiano Ronaldo’s Soft Drink Snub Costs Company $4 Billion
It remains to be seen whether Heineken will respond to Pogba’s removal of their product from his post-match press conference. In response to Ronaldo’s move, Coca-Cola said that ‘everyone is entitled to their drink preferences‘.
