Iceland has said it was left “shocked and deeply disappointed” after receiving a cease-and-desist warning from the Football Association over its World Cup marketing campaign.
The frozen food specialist temporarily renamed three stores “England” ahead of the national team’s semi-final against Argentina.
The campaign saw Iceland change the signage at its branches in Washington, Chingford and Stourbridge, which are associated with England players Jordan Pickford, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham respectively.
However, the FA’s lawyers demanded that the retailer remove the shopfront displays and related social media posts by 4pm on 17 July.
The football body argued that consumers could wrongly believe Iceland had a commercial partnership with the FA or the England team and warned that the promotion risked damaging the Three Lions and England brands.
Iceland denied that the stunt was intended to suggest any official affiliation, insisting it was designed solely to support the team and generate excitement among customers and staff.
An Iceland spokesperson said: “We are shocked and deeply disappointed that the FA chose to send lawyers after us.”
The retailer added that the displays were about backing England in the hometowns of three of its leading players ahead of one of the country’s biggest matches in years.
Iceland removed the signage after England were knocked out of the tournament by Argentina. It said the branding would have remained in place through the World Cup final and beyond had the team progressed.
The supermarket criticised the timing of the legal warning, arguing that victory in the semi-final would have left it dismantling the campaign just days before England appeared in the final.
The FA has not publicly commented on Iceland’s claims.
The clash comes just months after Iceland Foods ended its long-running trademark battle with the Icelandic government over the retailer’s use of the country’s name.
The supermarket abandoned the dispute in March after losing a third legal challenge but retained the right to continue trading as Iceland.
