World Cup betting ad banned for being 'racist and derogatory towards English people'

The Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) ruled on the matter after receiving one objection to the campaign.

The ad in question read: "Let's go Japan. Polite. Organised. Clean up after themselves. The exact opposite of England."

A fallen England flag was also visible beneath the text.

The ASAI's Independent Complaints Council determined the advert was likely to cause offence on grounds of nationality.

It ruled the advertisement must not appear again in its current form.

The person who lodged the complaint described the advertisement as "racist and derogatory towards English people".

They said they found the depiction of England offensive and felt it was especially inappropriate given its prominent placement on the exterior of a bus at an airport.

But in real life, England fans were praised at the World Cup for their "exemplary" behaviour.

Only one objection was received by the ASAI, despite the campaign being seen by a large number of people.

Paddy Power pointed to this fact in its defence, arguing the low complaint count suggested the public broadly understood the ad's intent.

The bookmaker also noted that a fallen England flag appeared beneath the wording, which the complainant considered particularly objectionable.

Paddy Power maintained the advert was part of a wider World Cup campaign and should be viewed in that broader context.

The betting firm highlighted a separate ad aimed at Ireland which read: "Forget your passport? At least you didn't book this giant billboard hoping Ireland would qualify for the World Cup."

It argued that references to Japanese supporters being polite, organised and tidying up after themselves reflected widely reported behaviour at World Cup tournaments.

The firm insisted the comparison with England would have been understood as relating to football rather than a comment about English people as a whole.

Paddy Power also stressed that humour and satire are core elements of its brand identity.

But the Independent Complaints Council found that the England advert stood apart from the rest of the campaign because it contrasted English supporters unfavourably with another nationality.

It concluded that the treatment of England differed from how other nations were handled in the wider campaign.

The council judged that the ad's wording went beyond light-hearted humour and could be read as a reference to English people in general, not just football fans.

Ultimately, it determined that the joke depended on portraying a nationality negatively.