Euros: Heineken beer bottles will no longer be placed in front of Muslim players

Bottles of Heineken beer will no longer be placed in front of Muslim players in post-match interviews during the Euro 2020 tournament, the Telegraph reported on Thursday.

The decision by UEFA officials follows French Muslim player Paul Pogba's removal of the beverages during an interview last week.

The Manchester United midfielder is known as a practicing Muslim who often shares posts about his faith on social media.

Following France's 2-2 draw with Portugal on Wednesday, the bottles of Heineken 0.0 were noticeably missing from fellow French Muslim footballer Karim Benzema's man-of-the-match press conference.

Team managers and players will now have the choice of whether to remove the bottles on religious grounds, according to the Telegraph.

Pogba's snub of the drink, which was a non-alcoholic version of the Dutch lager, followed a similar gesture by Portugal's star forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ahead of Portugal's 3-0 drubbing of Hungary in Budapest, Ronaldo moved bottles of Coca-Cola during a press conference, saying that he preferred to drink water.

While Ronaldo's gesture drew praise on social media, it prompted UEFA to warn players that they could face fines for such actions.

The European footballing body stressed that removing alcohol on religious grounds was different to snubbing a beverage based on lifestyle choices.