Pastis-maker Pernod Ricard scraps sponsorship of PSG after protests in Marseille
French liquor company Pernod Ricard, best known in France for the anise-flavored aperitif pastis, has scrapped a sponsorship deal with Paris Saint-Germain after protests from Marseille
French liquor company Pernod Ricard, best known in France for the anise-flavored aperitif pastis, said on Thursday it scrapped a new sponsorship deal with Paris Saint-Germain after protests from Marseille.
Fans of Marseille, the bitter rival of PSG, complained that the drink belongs to their city.
Pernod Ricard said in a statement it ended the global deal announced this week “in the face of the strong emotions aroused."
Marseille has long been associated with the French liqueur called pastis. So when Pernod Ricard announced the new commercial partnership with PSG, it left a bad taste in the mouths of Marseille fans.
The hashtag #boycottPernodRicard spread on social media as fans felt betrayed by a company that boasts about its Marseille origins. The issue became so intense that even Marseille Mayor Benoit Payan got involved, asking Pernod Ricard for an explanation.
Alexandre Ricard, the CEO of Pernod Ricard, decided to scrap the four-year sponsorship “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.”
Pastis is consumed in all regions of France, but it is particularly popular in the country's south, where Marseille native Paul Ricard commercialized the drink under his name in 1932. Pernod Ricard was created in 1975 following a merger of Pernod and Ricard, which brought together two French anise-based spirits.
“For over 90 years, Ricard’s history has been inextricably linked with Marseille, where it was born,” Alexandre
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