Region’s lawyers say Aarhus hospital advertised AGF through baby gifts

Aarhus University Hospital is facing criticism from the legal office of its regional authority over free baby clothes bearing the logo of football club AGF, DR reports. The lawyers say the gift amounted to advertising for the club.

The hospital and AGF announced earlier this week that midwives would offer newborns a bodysuit with the club’s logo and the words “I open my eyes in Aarhus”. The phrase echoes Thomas Helmig’s song “Malaga”, which is often sung before AGF’s home matches.

Sten Bønsing, a professor of administrative law at Aalborg University, told Jyllands-Posten that the arrangement breached basic rules by allowing a hospital to advertise for and favour a private company. Aarhus University Hospital defended the initiative, saying the gift was optional and no money was involved.

But in papers for next week’s meeting of Region Midtjylland’s executive committee, the region’s legal office agrees with Bønsing. It says public authorities must not provide advertising in return for donations. In this case, the lawyers say, advertising includes both publicity about the gift and the AGF logo on the clothes.

The legal office also says the region lacks clear guidelines on which donations it may accept. Asked whether the assessment would lead the hospital to reconsider the offer, its press office said it would wait for clarification after the executive committee meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, November 18.