FOOTBALL fans saw more than 100 alcohol references during every televised match at the Euro 2016 tournament, a study has found.

The Uefa contest was held in France, where alcohol sports sponsorship and TV advertising is banned. However, major players used “alibi” marketing to sidestep legislation and reach supporters through broadcasts in France, the UK and Ireland.

The process uses indirect references to brands instead of conventional logos or names. The Foul Play? report, published today, found Danish brewer Carlsberg was the most featured brand, accounting for “almost all” references in all three territories.

The beer baron employed its slogan “probably the best in the world” while avoiding the product name.

Most marketing appeared in electronic pitch-side hoardings and other “highly visible” places, making for on-screen alcohol advertising “once every other minute”.

The research, carried out by Stirling University’s Institute for Social Marketing, will be launched at the European Healthy Stadia conference in London today.

It concludes that the limited differences between the output screened in all three countries demonstrates “the importance of a host nation’s regulations” for international tournaments and the need for “clear lines of accountability”.

Lead researcher Dr Richard Purves said: “Beamed to audiences across the world, major sporting events such as the Uefa Euro tournament, present a prime opportunity for alcohol companies to market directly to a global audience.

“In order to continue to protect children and young people from exposure to alcohol marketing, laws such as those in France need to be upheld and respected by all parties involved and not seen as something to be negotiated.”

The work was funded by the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS), Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP), and Alcohol Action Ireland.

Katherine Brown, director of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said the findings have serious implications for children’s relationship with drink. She said: “There is strong evidence that exposure to alcohol marketing encourages children to drink earlier and in greater quantities.

“The findings of this report show that alcohol companies are following in the footsteps of their tobacco colleagues by bending the rules on marketing restrictions putting children’s health at risk.”

SHAAP director Eric Carlin said: “Sport should be an alcohol-free space. The presence of alcohol marketing during Euro 2016 highlights that organisers of sporting events need to hold out against tactics of big alcohol companies to flout legal regulations designed to protect children.’