Bookmaker Paddy Power Is Being Sued By Roy Keane


Roy Keane, who is the assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland’s football team, is suing bookmakers Paddy Power because they decided to use his face on a billboard.

According to Irish Independent, the billboard features Keane as William Wallace (played by Mel Gibson), the Scottish hero from the film Braveheart, and Paddy Power placed it right on a truck that drove around Dublin. This comes just as Ireland is getting ready to take on Scotland, which happens on July 13 at Aviva stadium.

Paddy Power’s advert took a dig at Scottish voters’ rejection for independence by saying that they have their freedom. The exact phrase Paddy Power used on the advert was a bit more brash.

“You may take our points but at least we have our freedom (ya wee p*ssies)”

Keane is apparently not happy with Paddy Power using his image because he didn’t give them permission to do so. Keane is likely going to claim that Paddy Power infringed on his image rights, according to BBC.

Proceedings against Paddy Power has already started, and the case will be heard in the High Court in Dublin. However, as of now, no date for the case has been announced, but it will likely be heard sometime next year.

According to the Mirror, Keane has already hired the law firm of A&L Goodbody. He isn’t the only one who has sought out legal help, as Paddy Power has also hired an attorney to represent them. It is being said that Keane is seeking thousands from Paddy Power. If the company loses the case, they could potentially be forced to pay more than $100,000 in damages to Keane.

A spokesman for Paddy Power confirmed the lawsuit, saying that Keane has took legal action against them because they used his face on the billboard. The spokesman continued to say that they cannot really discuss anything in further details because it’s in the hands of lawyers. They added that the company hopes that their freedom to have fun won’t be taken away from them.

This isn’t the first time Paddy Power has decided to stir a bit of controversy. Last month, Ireland was getting ready to play against England, but leading up to the game, the company decided to take bubble wrap and put it around one of their shops. Paddy Power released a statement after doing that and they said that they had to take the step in order to protect their exterior from violent mobs, which was a dig at fans of England’s football team.

Paddy Power is a bookmaking company that takes bets online and in-person. Power Paddy has physical shops located throughout Ireland and other parts of the United Kingdom. The company has been in business since 1988.

[Image: Wikimedia Commons]

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