Love him or hate him, Jose Mourinho is back in the English Premier League, portraying himself as a humble yet emotionally stronger leader at the start of his reign as Tottenham’s new head coach.
However, his new role prompted questions whether he would land in hot water over his recent appearance in an advertising campaign by gambling operator Paddy Power.
The answer seems to be ‘no’. Football.london reports citing a Football Association spokesperson that the relationship between Mourinho and Paddy Power does not violate their guidelines.
In September, the new Tottenham boss starred in a Paddy Power advert, poking fun at his “special one” title. The TV spot promoted the gambling operator’s Daily Jackpot competition, implying that you don’t have to be a special one to win a jackpot.
Paddy Power has long been delivering truly cut-though content in an otherwise highly competitive market. However, his cheeky ads have often got the Irish bookmaker in trouble with UK advertising and gambling watchdogs.
It seems that neither Mourinho, nor Paddy Power will be in hot water over their joint work. The ad starring the famed football coach promotes the company’s casino gaming division and features no reference to its sports betting product.
As mentioned above, a spokesperson for the FA told football.london that the advert did not run afoul of their guidelines for the participation of football staff and players in gambling ads.
Will Mourinho Appear in Future Paddy Power Ads?
Now as Mourinho is back in English football, his relationship with Paddy Power would certainly draw more attention and could prevent him from starring in other campaigns by the gambling operator.
In addition, anti-gambling campaigners are calling for stricter rules around gambling advertising and football. Several high-profile football figures have recently faced discipline, including hefty fines and suspension, for breaches of gambling advertising regulations.
Under FA guidelines regarding players and football staff participating in gambling ads, “an individual participant, when acting in any capacity, shall not deliberately participate in the production of audio, or audio visual content (for publication on any platform whatsoever) where the conduct and/or words of the participant could reasonably be considered to be actively encouraging the engagement in betting activity which the participant is prohibited from engaging in.”
The too-close relationship between football and the gambling industry has been a heavily debated topic over the past several years in the UK, with anti-gambling lobbyists urging for drastic reforms.
A survey conducted jointly by the Football Supporters Association and responsible gambling charity GambleAware revealed that 90% of all respondents believe the football clubs they support are not doing enough to promote safe sports betting and educate fans about the risks of excessive gambling.
As many as 10 Premier League clubs signed shirt sponsorships with gambling companies ahead of the 2019/2020 season, trousering millions of pounds from the contracts.
Last year, UK-facing gambling operators agreed to self-impose a voluntary ban on gambling adverts during live televised sports, but industry opponents told the companies that they need to do much more in order to prevent gambling and football from becoming too closely connected.
Source: The reason Jose Mourinho’s Paddy Power advert does not break FA gambling rules after Spurs move, football.london
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