New Paddy Power Advert Shows Blind Footballers Mistaking A Cat For The Ball
The bookmaker Paddy Power is courting controversy with a TV advert featuring blind footballers who mistake a cat for the ball in a five-a-side match.
The ad – which is the latest in a series being rolled out ahead of the World Cup and the climax of the Premier League season – has had the green light from Clearcast, the body that vets TV spots before broadcast. It breaks tomorrow night.
The commercial shows two blind five-a-side teams using a ball with a bell inside it. As the ball goes out of play, a bell-wearing cat runs on to the pitch, and ends up being kicked into a tree by one of the strikers.
Paddy Power said that it had to get clearance to air the commercial from Clearcast as the two teams feature real blind footballers, not actors.
Several of the players who feature are likely to represent England in this summer’s World Blind Football Championships. The player who features most prominently in the commercial, Ajmal Ahmed, is the England captain.
“As with our betting we like to have fun with our ads even though there were a lot of procedures and hurdles that we had to clear for the ad to be approved,” said Adam Perrin, the head of brand for Paddy Power.
I think this is really bad. I don’t know why any regulator would want to clear it. Their defense is wrong- it is because these are real, professional blind footballers that there is such a problem with the ad. Don’t the people at Paddy Power know how much time and effort goes into training for Paralympic sport? Don’t they know how much effort Paralypians put into NOT making such a mistake? No Paralympians deserve such ridicule.
And this is just a DisAbled person’s reaction. Don’t even get me started on what animal rights campaigners will say to a person kicking a cat into a tree!
Click the link above to play the ad.
Same Difference 
Paddy power are scum. If I could close the place down tomorrow I would. The cat and blind advert is disgusting. I will never contribute to the blind again if they think thats funny
LikeLike
Be assured Mel that most of us blind people don’t think that advert is funny. It ridicules disability sport and condones cruelty.
LikeLike
cheer up use lot.. not think times r tough enough,, we all need a giggle,, r in all those who r complaining.. its called a sense of humour??? Snake?
LikeLike
I am not blind, but the advert is bloody funny. I have ginger hair, and I get the piss taken out of me all the time, but you don’t hear me crying.
It’s called a sense of humour.
I wish all the pc brigade would get down off their high horses, and stop feeling sorry for yourselves and realise that NO sighted person is laughing at the blind.
When I saw the advert, i didn’t think,” hahaha, those stupid blind people”. I regard your narrow mindedness an insult to me.
It makes me think who is the real bigots??
LikeLike
You miserable lot HAHA.
LikeLike