Disappointing performance from Ronaldo 30 March 2006 He's considered one of the football greats but Ronaldo's latest performance will leave many fans sorely disappointed. A television advert for a Brazilian beer sees the Real Madrid striker showing off his skills in a bullfighting arena. The advert, filmed to promote Brahma beer, shows Ronaldo seated in the audience at a bullfight. Unable to open his bottle of beer, he enters the bullring, confronts the bull and uses the animal's horn to flip the cap off the bottle. Also shown are scenes of "Ronaldo" trying to disorientate the bull with his on-the-ball manoeuvres. The 45 second advert can be viewed from the www.brahma.com.br website. In a letter to AmBev/InBev, the company which produces Brahma Beer, the Irish Council Against Blood Sports appealed for the advert to be withdrawn. "The advert trivialises and glamorises what is one of the world's most cruel and barbaric blood sports," we stated. "It is very surprising that your company would want to associate its product with such a controversial activity." We also pointed out how the bulls are slowly tortured to death during bullfights and invited the company to view our selection of video clips which show the reality of bullfighting. Action Item Please write to AmBev and urge them to withdraw the Ronaldo/Bullfighting advert. Ask them to give a commitment that no future advertising campaigns will use bullfighting themes. AmBev (Headquarters) Corporate Park Renato Paes de Barros, 1017, 4th floor 04530-001 Sao Paulo Brazil Tel +55 11 21 22 12 00 Fax +55 11 21 22 15 63 Email: ci@ambev.com.br InBev Ireland Attn: Ruth Moloney Woodford Business Park Santry Dublin 9 Tel: 01 8837600 InBev UK Ltd. Porter Tun House 500 Capability Green Luton LU1 3LS Luton-Bedfordshire Tel +44 15 82 39 11 66 Fax +44 15 82 39 73 97 Email: Consumer.Helpline@interbrew.co.uk Contact details for other countries appear on the www.inbev.com website. Sample Letter (Please compose your own personal letter if possible. If you do not have time to do this, please send the short sample letter below. Be assertive, but polite, in all correspondence. Thank you.) Dear Sir/Madam, I have viewed your television advert for Brahma beer. I wish to register my objection to your use of bullfighting imagery to promote your product. I hope that AmBev will immediately withdraw this offensive ad. Thank you. Yours sincerely, Name/Location Ronaldo, with a bottle of Brahma beer and a football, confronts a bull in the television advert's bullfighting arena. A stunt double for Ronaldo kicks a ball around in front of a charging bull. Ronaldo uses the bull's horn to open his bottle of Brahma beer. The true face of bullfighting. Moments from death, a bull is seen here bleeding from its mouth and body. Among the countries which allow this barbarity are Spain, Portugal, France, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, China, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. (Photo: ADDA) News Menu | Join | Top | Home