Paddy Power’s Blind Footballers Ruled Onside By ASA

I don’t agree with anything writtten in this article. I’m upset to read about this result. Comments, as always, are very welcome below.

With a team of blind footballers who kick a cat into a tree, it seemed to have something to offend everybody. But one of the most complained-about adverts of all time was cleared today by the advertising watchdog.

The Advertising Standards Authority received 1,089 complaints – the fifth-highest total in its history – about the campaign for the bookmaker Paddy Power, which launched ahead of the World Cup. Viewers objected that it was offensive to blind people and might encourage cruelty to animals.

Paddy Power said that the ad depicted a “normal event but featured an action that was so unlikely that it was absurd and was a ‘worst nightmare’ type scenario”, and that at the end of the ad the cat was “clearly and deliberately shown to be unharmed”.

Clearcast, the body that vets TV items before their broadcast, said that the ad set up a “jokey, highly unrealistic situation”.

Paddy Power also ensured the TV ad featured some genuine sight-impaired footballers – several of whom have represented England, including the team captain, Ajmal Ahmed – rather than only actors.

However, this would not be known to viewers, which may go some way to explaining the significant number of complaints the ad regulator has received.

The ASA said that the ad was unlikely to be interpreted by most viewers as malicious or to imply that blind people were likely to cause harm to animals while playing football.

“We therefore concluded that the ad was unlikely to be seen as humiliating, stigmatising or undermining to blind people and was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence,” said the ASA.

In terms of the cruelty to animals the ASA said that the situation was “surreal and improbable” and was “unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence”.