Coca-Cola could drop Rooney
Coca-Cola is said to be considering dropping Wayne Rooney over allegations that he had sex with a prostitute while his wife Coleen was pregnant.
According to a report in The Sunday Times, executives at the soft drink company’s Atlanta office have ordered its British business to drop the England and Manchester United star over concerns that the revelations will taint its image as a family-friendly brand.
Executives in Britain are said to be resisting the move.
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”.
A spokeswoman for Coke would not comment on the story and repeated last week’s statement that “this is a private matter for Wayne Rooney and his family.”
Rooney is said to earn about £7.3m per year from endorsements including Nike and EA Sports as well as Coca-Cola.
Nike and EA have also declared it a “private matter”.
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