Boca Juniors faces potential legal issues for betting advertisement in Brazil

Boca Juniors may have violated Brazilian law after displaying its master sponsor, the betting company Betsson, on its uniforms during a Copa Sudamericana semifinal match against Vasco at the Maracanã stadium.

Following a provisional measure (MP) announced by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on September 25, the advertising, offering, and intermediation of fixed-odds betting are prohibited in Brazil. Legal experts suggest that because the match took place on Brazilian soil and was broadcast to a Brazilian audience, the club should have complied with local advertising restrictions despite its sponsorship contract being governed by Argentine law.

While the Brazilian provisional measure does not automatically have extraterritorial reach to force the rescission of foreign contracts, specialists note that the physical exposure of the brand during an official match in Brazil constitutes a potential infringement of the current legislation.