Accra, Nov 26, GNA - The Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the Ghana 2008 Africa Cup of Nations has asked ECOBANK Ghana Limited to withdraw within seven clear days all print and radio advertisements as well as all unofficial linkages with the tournament or risk facing legal actions.

The LOC has also demanded from the ECOBANK an unqualified apology for contravening the fundamental principles of marketing guiding the tournament.

The request by the LOC follows newspaper adverts placed by ECOBANK in the daily Graphic of November 26, 2007 and a recent raffle promotion being organised by the Bank.

A statement signed by Magnus Rex Danquah, Chief Operating Officer of the LOC copied to the GNA Sports, said it has noticed with a great deal of disapproval the full page advertisement placed by the bank, describing it as ambush marketing.

The statement said using the Ghana 2008 logo amounts to an outright disregard of the regulations that safeguard the interest of the organisers and partners of the 26th MTN Africa Cup of Nations Football Tournament.

"ECOBANK must certainly be aware of the fact that such illegally deliberate negligence of the marketing rules and regulations that are infused into events organization, the logo cannot be mitigated by the spurious avowal of the support for the Black Stars. It is evidenced by the Bank's blatant display of the distorted version of the registered trademark of the 26th MTN Ghana 2008 Tournament logo". The statement added.

The statement said "it is to prevent such unfortunate situations that the LOC out of its magnanimity publicly invited companies and organizations that have the intent to use the medium of the tournament to promote themselves, their goods and services to negotiate with the organisers for the express authority to do so." It said the LOC is determined to have a hitch-free successful tournament to lift higher the image of the nation and hope to count of the cooperation of all towards it.