Row over hoardings during Ireland series; Cricket Ireland apologises
The advertisement boards during the India-Ireland series have come under scrutiny © Getty
A controversy has erupted in Ireland due to inappropriate gambling-related advertisements with sexual content during a recent cricket series against India, putting Cricket Ireland (CI) in a difficult position. CI has issued an apology for the in-stadium hoardings at Malahide, the venue for last month's all three games, and stated that they would also write to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
"We do accept that the associated imagery used by the brands on their websites are not in keeping with the values of Cricket Ireland and we unreservedly apologize for any offence inadvertently caused," a Cricket Ireland spokesman said.
The issue was initially brought to light by The Irish Times, which reported, "One of the companies which had branding present at the ground, 1xBet, was suspended by the UK Gambling Commission in 2019 after a Sunday Times investigation said that it promoted a 'pornhub casino', which 'entices gamblers with topless croupiers.'"
The entire matter came to public attention after a concerned parent and Irish cricket fan in Dublin reported it to Sports Ireland, a sports development agency in Ireland.
"I suppose my reason for complaining is that I am an Irish cricket fan for 30 years. And I have a young daughter and I have been coaching cricket to children for 25 years. I wasn't comfortable with my daughter being able to look up the sponsors on her phone, or friends or other girls or boys that I coach and finding the content on their website, on their Instagram account," Rob O' Connor, a Level 3 ECB coach, told Cricbuzz.
Following this complaint, Sports Ireland contacted CI. A spokesperson for Sports Ireland told this website, "Sport Ireland is aware of concerns raised regarding gambling sponsors at the recent cricket series between Ireland and India. Sport Ireland has discussed this issue with Cricket Ireland and they have issued a statement on the matter. Cricket Ireland is an autonomous organisation and Sport Ireland encourages Cricket Ireland to generate its own revenue. However, it is always important to balance the need for investment in sport with maintaining the core values of sport such as inclusion, integrity, respect, excellence and accountability."
Cricket Ireland had sold the ground rights within the stadium to a commercial agency in India, which paid for the right to engage third-party brands in signage activations around the ground, including perimeter advertising, on-pitch mats, backdrops, and the replay screen. While there were contractual safeguards in place for sponsorship on team shirts or event sponsorship naming rights in line with Government/Sport Ireland guidelines, ground rights signage seemed to be a separate matter. When contacted, the agency declined to comment, stating that Cricket Ireland engages with several agencies.
However, Cricket Ireland confessed to its engagement with Sports Ireland and recognized that the hoardings did not conform to the values of sports in Ireland. It told this website, "Cricket Ireland accepts and adheres to the formal regulations/guidelines of the Irish Government/Sport Ireland around sponsorship of sporting events. We did engage Sport Ireland on the brands wishing to sponsor the team and/or the event name, and sought clarification from Sport Ireland around the presence of betting brands in-stadium per se. Notwithstanding this, we do accept that the associated imagery used by the brands on their websites are not in keeping with the values of Cricket Ireland, and we unreservedly apologize for any offense inadvertently caused." Cricket Ireland also mentioned that they would write to the BCCI out of courtesy.
The three-match Twenty International series last month ended with India winning 2-0, with one match being a wash-out.
