The beIN Sports group, holder of the rights in France to the Italian football championship (Serie A), announced on Friday, January 20 that it will no longer broadcast Atalanta Bergamo matches because of its jersey sponsor, aligning on an injunction from the French authorities.
The company Plus500, whose logo appears on the jerseys of Atalanta players, is in Bercy's sights because it offers "investment services relating to risky financial contracts." “These advertisements are prohibited by the consumer code,” observed the DGCCRF in an injunction taken against beIN Sports. The DGCCRF adds that it "ordered SAS beIN Sports France to cease these practices."
"To date, we have to give up broadcasting Atalanta Bergamo matches following a decision by the DGCCRF, according to which any broadcast showing one of the sponsors of this team would constitute prohibited advertising of risky financial products," explained beIN in a message to its subscribers.
Plus500 is a financial trading platform based in Cyprus. Its website is accompanied by a warning banner on the "high risk of rapid capital loss" of CFDs (or contracts for difference), financial products classified by the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorité française des marchés financiers, AMF) among the very risky products. In addition to Atalanta, the trading platform has also established sponsorship relationships with the Chicago Bulls NBA franchise and the football clubs of Legia Warsaw (Poland) and Young Boys from Bern (Switzerland).
The beIN Sports group adds that it “is mobilizing so that its subscribers, Serie A fans, can quickly find Atalanta Bergamo matches” without specifying how it intends to proceed. Atalanta, currently 6th in Serie A, moved to Juventus Turin (3rd) on Sunday for the 19th day of the championship.