Southgate explains why he didn’t move Coke bottles like Ronaldo

Kieran Galpin

Could this be an end to bottle-gate?

‘Bottle-Gate’ has recently received more attention than England players kneeling before the match. Ever single Cristiano Ronaldo removed two bottles of coke from the press conference, the world has been obsessed with the soft drink brand and the after effect of Ronaldo’s actions. Manuel Locatelli and Paul Pogba have also removed drinks from the table, while Russian coach Stanislav Cherchesov defiantly drank half a bottle at once.

Pretty sure Santos was about to drink the coke as he thought Ronaldo would do so
Awkward😭🤣 pic.twitter.com/4Dwv6JAnqm

— Los blancos (@notoriousw7) June 15, 2021

Now, England manager Gareth Southgate has joined the fray.

🗣" There's always a bigger picture to these things"

Gareth Southgate responds to why he chose not to remove the Coca Cola bottles from the table #Euro2020 pic.twitter.com/3JSsk6wqu1

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) June 17, 2021

“Well, I think there are lots of sponsors in sport and the impact of their money at all levels helps sport to function,” said Southgate in a post-match interview.

“Particularly grassroots sport in our country requires a lot of investment and without some of those companies investing then [it is] very difficult to provide the facilities that we need.

“And I think with anything, of course we’re mindful of, in our country, obesity and health. But everything can be done in moderation and I think anything that you take part in in moderation is rarely a problem.”

In our minds, Southgate at this point opened his top shirt button and cracked open a Diet Coke to wow the lovestruck masses, before adding: “I understand the concerns that people have and obviously the two guys had a different rationale for the two stances they took, but there’s always a bigger picture to these things, I think.”

“Coca-Cola and Heineken… please contact me!”

Andriy Yarmolenko saw what Cristiano Ronaldo did and reversed it 😂🔄 pic.twitter.com/koH8o8TCx9

— Hayters TV (@HaytersTV) June 17, 2021

England captain Harry Kane also reiterated Southgate’s sentiment, though this is still a topic of parody among other players. UEFA has since announced that it will issue fines to teams whose players are deliberately removing drinks from the tables.