Taxi drivers protest Uber’s role as soccer sponsor in Argentina

The United Taxi Drivers Association on Wednesday staged a protest outside the Argentine Soccer Association (AFA) offices in Buenos Aires to protest the soccer body’s signing of a sponsorship deal with ride-hailing service Uber .

“The contract is signed. Formal requests are unnecessary. They will reverse (their decision) as a result of union actions. We won’t stop. Protests will be held at the AFA, at the home of (its president, Claudio) Tapia, and every time that the national team boards a (bus),” Marcelo Boeri, leader of the United Taxi Drivers Association, told the TN channel.

The association warned in a statement about the “seriousness” of this agreement and said “no more abuses can be allowed.”

Buenos Aires province in early November passed a law that stiffens penalties for those who transport passengers illegally, a measure aimed at stopping the spread of private ride-hailing apps like Uber in the Argentine capital.

By contrast, the province of Mendoza recently became the first to pass a law allowing those services to operate.

The agreement between Uber and the AFA was signed in Mendoza, where Argentina played a friendly against Mexico on Tuesday.

“The Argentine Soccer Association developed a new sponsorship category and announced the company Uber as new digital sponsor,” the AFA said.

The deal was signed by Tapia and Felipe Fernandez Aramburu, who is in charge of business development for Uber in Argentina.