By Mohammad Shoeb
DOHA: Hamad International Airport (HIA-Qatar) yesterday announced that it will be the official platinum sponsor of the legendary German football club, FC Bayern Munich, and they singed a partnership agreement for 2016-17 football season.
This is another key step towards the national vision of establishing a global leadership in sports, as the country prepares to host FIFA World Cup 2022. The announcement was made at a press conference held at the HIA, aviation’s newest and most advanced international hub. It was attended by Akbar Al Baker, Group Chief Executive of Qatar Airways. He was joined by Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Chief Operating Officer of HIA-Qatar and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Chairman and Member of the Executive Board at FC Bayern Munich, to announce the sponsorship, alongside a special surprise appearance by FC Bayern Munich team member Franck Ribéry together with Lena Lotzen of FC Bayern Munich Women’s Team and the German National Women’s Team.
FC Bayern Munich is the most successful club in German football history and one of the most successful European clubs internationally with a reported 300 million fans worldwide.
The partnership will lead to various joint ventures between HIA-Qatar and FC Bayern Munich over the coming years which will give the passengers of HIA and the people of Qatar an opportunity to engage with the world renowned team.
Al Baker said: “We designed HIA-Qatar to be the most advanced, most efficient and most comfortable global aviation gateway, and a facility able to handle up to 50 million of our own passengers every year, as well as the millions of fans that will visit Doha for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
“This is perfectly aligned with our national strategy to establish global leadership in sports, by hosting world-class events such as the recent ATP Qatar ExxonMobil Open and the International Paralympic Committee World Championships. To further align the Group to this national strategy, we took a creative approach by seeking opportunities for HIA-Qatar to partner with the best of the best, and very happily we have created a Platinum Sponsorship relationship with Germany’s most-winning team, FC Bayern Munich. We welcome the opportunities this relationship gives HIA-Qatar.”
Al Meer said: “This is the first sponsorship of its kind for HIA-Qatar, and we could not have asked for better partners in FC Bayern Munich. We at HIA-Qatar see ourselves as playing an important role in facilitating our passengers’ journeys and helping them create lifelong memories.
FC Bayern Munich also figures significantly in their fans’ lives, and together, we aim to continue inspiring our fans, our passengers and the public to reach higher and go places together. HIA-Qatar looks forward to building a relationship with fans of the club, especially on their global travels.”
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, CEO of FC Bayern Munich AG, said: “As CEO of FC Bayern Munich, I am delighted to welcome the Hamad International Airport-Qatar as a new member of the team of our partners. The new Doha Airport, that opened in 2014 with a capacity of 30 million passengers per year, is impressive. Its architecture and its comfort set standards in my view.”
The Peninsula
