Tim Cahill has been slammed for using goal celebrations to plug his personal sponsor during the Socceroos’ Wold Cup qualifier.
The star striker scored both goals in Australia’s 2-1 victory over Syria on Tuesday night, setting up a series with Honduras next month to make the Cup.
Cahill dumped his usual shadowboxing celebration for running around the field with his arms outstretched to mimic a plane.
Tim Cahill has been slammed for using this goal celebration to plug his personal sponsor TripADeal during the Socceroos’ Wold Cup qualifier
The Australian company posted a shot of Cahill making the T sign after the winning goal with ‘brand ambassador’ printed over the top
After scoring the winning goal in extra time, the 37-year-old made a T symbol above his head and held it for several seconds as he showed off to the crowd.
Fans noted the change but their confusion turned to outrage when it was revealed he was actually spruiking online travel outlet TripADeal.
The Australian company posted a shot of Cahill making the T sign after the winning goal with ‘brand ambassador’ printed over the top.
‘Did you catch @tim_cahill, our new brand ambassador, doing the TripADeal ‘T’ after he scored the winning goal last night? Congratulations Tim!’ it wrote under it.
Cahill dumped his usual shadowboxing celebration for running around the field with his arms outstretched to mimic a plane after his first goal, in a reference to TripADeal flights
Cahill later plugged the brand on his own feed, posting a message and tagging @tripadeal followed by four plane symbols, next to a series of photos from the game
Cahill responded with a series of emojis including a plane symbol, and later plugged the brand on his own feed.
‘Another chapter written and plenty more to come. Amazing team performance and really proud of everyone tonight, team, staff and fans,’ he wrote.
Underneath the innocuous message next to a series of photos from the game he tagged @tripadeal followed by four plane symbols.
Fans speculated his plane celebration was another TripADeal plug as it was the first time he performed it, and the obvious connection to a travel site.
NRL star Jarryd Hayne, whose ‘Hayne Plane’ celebration is virtually identical without the sponsorship implications, seemed to appreciate it.
The star striker scored both goals in Australia’s 2-1 victory over Syria on Tuesday night, setting up a series with Honduras next month to make the Cup
The Gold Coast Titans player posted a snap of the celebration to his Twitter, writing ‘#KingCahill Congrats on the win brother’.
Rather than deny the connection, TripADeal managing director Norm Black said the company was thrilled with the exposure – just days after the deal was signed.
‘This is the first step for us to formalise something on top of our really solid friendship,’ he told News Corp.
‘This is a great stepping stone to bigger and better things. For us there is nobody better to have linked to your brand. There is no higher respected sportsman in the country.’
Fans were not as positive, taking to social media to accuse Cahill of only caring about money and dishonouring his uniform.
Fans took to social media to accuse Cahill of only caring about money and dishonouring his uniform
‘This just shows Tim Cahill only cares about the $ and self promotion, a goal celebration is not the time to promote a brand that’s paying you,’ one wrote.
‘Tim Cahill changed his celebration to the plane as a promotion for a brand he’s being paid as an ambassador for lol anything for $$,’ another wrote.
‘If you were looking for a reason to justify the Tim Cahill hatred…’ a third wrote.
‘Always a pleasure to see the trip_a_deal T on the football field Timmy. That’s pretty s**t,’ another said sarcastically.
Some fans acknowledged Cahill’s brilliance but were still angry about the product placement, while others were prepared to overlook it if he got Australia to the World Cup.
‘Great player. Cheap act. Dirty money,’ one wrote.
‘Seriously, Tim Cahill can strip naked and promote Playboy magazine for all I care, if it means the Socceroos make the World Cup,’ another wrote.