Marseille has long been associated with the French liqueur called pastis.
So when Pernod Ricard, the French liquor group best known for the anise-flavored aperitif, announced a new commercial partnership with Marseille’s soccer archrival PSG this week, it left a bad taste 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.
Pastis is consumed in all regions of France, but it is particularly popular in the south of the country, 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.
Upset fans said they would stop drinking pastis, or switch to rival brands, while others called for a boycott of the more than 240 brands in the wine and spirits seller’s global portfolio.
The issue became so intense that even the mayor of Marseille got involved. Speaking to BFM TV channel, Benoit Payan said he would soon be meeting the group’s CEO, Alexandre Ricard, to “ask for explanations.”
“I wasn’t happy to see this, frankly we didn’t quite understand,” Payan said. “I have a lot of things to say to him. First of all, I’m going to ask him how and why we ended up supporting PSG.”
PSG and Marseille are the two biggest powerhouses of French soccer. Their rivalry became popular during the 1990s. Marseille, the only French team to win the Champions League (1993), has fallen well behind since PSG was taken over by Qatari investors in 2011, but the rivalry continues to stir up passion.
When the deal was announced, Pernod Ricard said the global partnership with PSG excluded France “in terms of visibility or activations.”
Pernod Ricard said the deal had a global reach and was not aimed at the French market. It added that the group had no plans to become a shirt sponsor. On Wednesday, a company representative declined to be directly quoted.
But the precaution has not spared the group from criticism.
“Ricard, the Ricard family, the founder, are people who are inextricably linked to this area,” Payan said, “and I’m going to ask them again what their connection is to this area.”
Pernod Ricard said the four-year agreement begins this season. It covers PSG’s men’s and women’s soccer teams and handball. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
