‘Band of Traitors’: French Spirits Giant Cancels Sports Partnership Following Boycott From Rival Fans
Marseille fans support their team before the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Strasbourg at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille, southern France, Oct. 20, 2019. (Photo: AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File)
On Thursday, French spirits conglomerate Pernod Ricard scrapped a deal with football club Paris Saint-Germain following a boycott from the team’s rival fans.
The backlash came to a head earlier this week when Pernod signed on as the sole champagne and spirits provider of both the PSG men’s and women’s football and handball teams. The company — valued at a market cap of $34.88 billion — is best known internationally for imprints including The Glenlivet, Absolut Vodka and Jameson. Within its home nation, however, Pernod is synonymous with its flagship Ricard Pastis aperitif, an anise-flavored product beloved in the city of Marseille.
Fans of the Olympique de Marseille football club, PSG’s bitter rival, were none too happy to hear about the four-year deal.
X users gathering under the rallying cry #boycottpernodricard variously declared the company a “band of traitors,” “intellectually dishonest” and responsible for “high treason.” Framing the issue as a betrayal of heritage, fans have criticized that the aperitif’s inventor Paul Ricard was born in Marseille while his current successor, Alexandre Ricard, was born in the suburbs of Paris. Others have suggested alternative brands to drink in protest.
Others still have speculated that Pernod’s stock price has suffered from the boycott, though it should be noted that the decline began on Aug. 29, three days before the partnership was announced.
Bottles of Ricard liquor are seen in group Pernod-Ricard headquarters in Paris, April 21, 2005. (Photo: AP Photo/Jacques Brinon, File)
Executives have now reversed course. Alexandre Ricard, chairman and CEO of the company, told The Drinks Business that the decision was made out of obligation to his family roots:
“I have taken this decision for the Group and after listening to the people who make it a success, including our employees in France, our customers, our shareholders, and above all, my family. For over 90 years, Ricard’s history has been inextricably linked with Marseille, where it was born. Those roots are strong, and they run deep, so the decision that I’m taking today comes from the heart.”
The company insists that public perception of the deal was rooted in misunderstanding. The partnership reportedly would not have included the cherished Ricard Pastis, but instead “one or two” other of Pernod’s over 240 brands.
For some fans, the change in tune isn’t enough to stifle outrage. The boycott hashtag has now persisted for over 24 hours after Pernod’s about-face, with users opining that the company deserves a “good punishment” that goes “all the way.”
The conglomerate last faced a boycott in 2023 when it was accused of importing products like Jameson and Absolut Vodka to Russia despite the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
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