FA sent ‘cease and desist’ letter over stunt before Argentina vs England | Football | Sport
Supermarket chain Iceland were hit with a cease‑and‑desist from the FA (Football Association) after rolling out a cheeky World Cup‑themed marketing stunt ahead of England’s clash with Argentina. The Three Lions were already nursing the frustration of that 2‑1 defeat to the reigning champions in Atlanta, and now another off‑pitch subplot has surfaced.
Before the match, Iceland briefly rebranded three of its stores as ‘England’, swapping out signage to tap into the World Cup buzz. The FA, however, were far from amused. According to the retailer, they were served a legal notice ordering them to pull the campaign immediately and strip away all related promotional material.
The notice arrived on the very day Thomas Tuchel’s squad faced the South Americans. FA representatives are believed to have informed the retailer that shoppers might be misled into thinking a commercial partnership existed between the supermarket and the FA, when no such arrangement was in place.
An Iceland spokesperson stated: “We are shocked and deeply disappointed that, on the day the whole country was getting behind England, the FA chose to send lawyers after us instead of celebrating the incredible support being shown for the national team.
“Our shopfront signage change was in three hometown stores of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Jordan Pickford and was about nothing more than backing England and creating a bit of excitement for our customers and colleagues ahead of one of the biggest matches in years. What makes this even more extraordinary is the timing.
“Had England beaten Argentina, this letter would have meant us to stripping away our displays, removing our social media posts and ending our celebrations just days before a World Cup Final. At the very moment the nation could have been coming together to support England on the biggest stage of all, we were being told to take everything down. That’s something we find difficult to understand.”
Iceland also maintained that there was never any intention to imply a commercial arrangement between themselves and the England squad. The supermarket chain further revealed that the FA believed the England team’s image could have been adversely affected by the stunt, with Iceland ordered to remove all related material and submit written confirmation of compliance by 4pm on 17th July.
Had England defeated Argentina to advance to the final, the cease and desist letter would have compelled Iceland to dismantle their promotional displays before what would have been England’s first World Cup final appearance since 1966.
Tuchel’s squad have one remaining fixture on American soil — the third-place play-off against France. The two sides meet in Miami on Saturday, 18th July, with kick-off scheduled for 10pm BST.
