Swedes say no to McDonald's

• by Jul 24, 2008

Swedish fast food chain Max bit off a bit more than it could chew when it decided to stand up to UEFA and its corporate sponsor McDonald's.

With the 2009 U-21 European Championships to be held in Sweden, McDonald's filed a complaint to UEFA, asking that Max close its restaurant outlet in the Boras Arena during tournament matches.

Max offered to close for a few hours on each game day but refused to completely shut down its operations. McDonald's turned down the compromise. At this point, UEFA stepped in and threatened to strip Boras, a city in the Vastergotland province of western Sweden, of its hosting privileges.

When a national newspaper poll revealed that 93 percent of the country supported Max's refusal of UEFA demands, the restaurant stood its ground.

UEFA followed through on its promise and has moved all games that were to be played in the city. Swedish soccer federation member Karl-Erik Nilsson was not pleased.

"If Max's decision is final, " he said, "then they have cheated Boras residents out of this football festival."