Anyone watching last night's Champions League encounter between Lyon and Real Madrid would have been puzzled to see the Spaniards show up with no sponsorship on their shirts.

The reason for this is that Madrid are sponsored by Austrian betting giants Bwin, and were therefore banned from promoting the operator in a Member State which is determined to protect its gambling monopoly.

Only last weekend, in the Rugby Six Nations clash between France and Scotland, stadium perimeter boards were adorned with PMU  advertisements, yet when another EU operator wants to promote its product, they are forbidden.

How hypocritical can you get? The French claim that they prevent the likes of Bwin from advertising in order to protect its citizens, yet they do not hesitate when it comes to advertising their state-run betting operators.

Unfortunately we've become all too familiar with this type of double standards across Europe, yet that won't stop us continuing to urge the European Commission to act in order to ensure that all Europeans are treated fairly, and that all Member States are forced to abide by fundamental EU laws.

In this day and age, it is preposterous that Real Madrid need to remove the logos from their shirt, while French equivalents are given the green light.

Help us fight this injustice by signing our petition and by emailing to your MEP.