Coca-Cola drops Rooney from campaign
Coca-Cola has confirmed it has dropped Wayne Rooney from a planned marketing campaign after allegations that he had sex with a prostitute while his wife Coleen was pregnant.
The news comes amid continued reports that the drink company’s Atlanta head office wants to drop the England and Manchester United star over concerns that the revelations will taint its image as a family-friendly brand.
A spokeswoman for Coke says that it has “amended” its plan to feature Rooney on Coke Zero bottles and cans this year.
“Given the situation at that time we did not feel it was appropriate to run an on-pack promotion ¬featuring Wayne Rooney.
“Our relationship with Wayne Rooney is ongoing. We are currently working with Wayne on Coke Zero Street Striker – an award-winning programme which, over the past three years, has encouraged thousands of young people to get involved in football. We are working on our marketing plans for 2011 and have no announcements to make at this time.”
Rooney is thought to earn about £600,000 a year from his deal with Coca-Cola.
He fronts a television show “Street Striker” on Sky where he helps amateur footballers develop their football skills.
The show is sponsored the drinks maker’s Coke Zero brand, which is marketed to young men and is often referred to as “Bloke Coke”.
Rooney is said to earn about £7.3m per year from endorsements including Nike and EA Sports as well as Coca-Cola.