Alcohol advertisement at stadiums should be balanced

On 21 February in "Parlamentskaya gazeta" press-center a round table "What advertisement is acceptable at Russian stadiums?" was held. The discussion of amendments to the law "On advertising" and article 16 "On physical culture and sports in Russian Federation" regarding beer advertisement was attended by the FUR Vice President, the Russian Football Premier League President Sergey Pryadkin, a member of the State Duma committee on health Raziet Natkho, a leading specialist, "YUST" law firm head of sports law department Mikhail Prokopets and a famous football journalist, "Fan-zona" TV program authour, former FUR press secretary Andrey Malosolov.

In a lively discussion participants shared opinions on possibility to exclude from prohibition beer advertisement at stadiums during Russian and international football tournaments as long as a part of income will be forwarded to sports development.

Sergey Pryadkin expressed opinion that issues of beer advertisement during sports events and consequences of this advertisement should be divided.

Developing fan culture should be prioritized, Sergey Pryadkin said. He also added that need in financing Russian football is a big issue and before the prohibition major beer companies were one of serious sponsors of football clubs and Russian football in general. 

«It would be great if all clubs would escape public funds including FNL and the second division. But diligent adverting work should be done for this. Beer advertisement would bring serious income to Russian clubs. But certainly some limits should be set», - Pryadkin said.

Mikhail Prokopets agreed with Pryadkin and added that beer advertisement at stadiums is a very delicate subject. On the one hand there is national health, on the other hand there is sports development. Several years ago football clubs had a lot of sponsors, Mikhail Prokopets said, but they all left when the advertisement was prohibited. Everyone wants to retrieve opportunity to advertise and they do so not because they do not care about people's health. Beer companies are ready to invest into sports development and effect of these investments  in opinion of "YUST" law firm representatives exceed negative consequences of such advertisement. He also said that our viewer is free to watch broadcasts of foreign matches when our clubs play at foreign fields. There are many countries where beer advertisement at stadiums is allowed so during such broadcasts our consumers can see beer advertisement anyway but our budget and our sport does not benefit from this. Mikhail Prokopets called for the lifting of the prohibition and "make a step back in oder to make two steps forward" for a sake of sports development.

Raziet Natkho said that the subjest of alcohol consumption and national health in general is actively discussed at the State Duma. She cited statistics according to which Russia occupies the first place in the world with alcohol consumption. Volumes of consumed alcohol drinks per capita are growing.  «The State Duma expressed its position in the laws that were passed in 2011 and 2012 and limited consumption of cigarettes and alcohol», Riziet Natkho said and added that the government clearly marked its position regarding struggling for national health when it developed and passed laws limiting smoking, unhealthy food etc. 

As a result of the meeting all the participants uninamously agreed on necessity to additionally and attentively consider amendments to the current law and usefulness of holding such round tables at the level of the State Duma.