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Qatar Signs Football Shirt Deal with Nike
The Qatar Football Association (QFA) has signed a shirt sponsorship deal with US sportswear giant Nike, it was announced on Sunday.
As part of the deal, Nike has been appointed exclusive sponsor and authorised kit supplier to the QFA and will see Qatar’s national team wearing the sportswear’s maker’s logo on their official team shirts.
Qatar is latest national team to be sponsored by Nike and joins a prestigious list which already includes Brazil, Portugal and Holland. The US sportswear maker is also the official sponsor of the Manchester United, FC Barcelona and Arsenal football clubs.
QFA president, HE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani said, “This major sponsorship deal is the latest step in the development and progression of football in Qatar. We are delighted to have come to an agreement with NIKE – the world’s most innovative football brand.”
“Qatar is focused on becoming a leader in global football and is fast becoming a center for sports in the Middle East. We are proud to bring Nike innovation to the forefront of sporting development in this region,” added Bert Hoyt, vice president and general manager global football at Nike.
The partnership was signed at the ASPIRE4SPORT Congress and Exhibition in Doha.
Qatar is currently bidding to be the first Arab country to host the World Cup football tournament and announced in September that it plans to spend $4bn building nine stadiums and upgrading three in its bid to stage the event in 2022.
The stadium designs include one in the shape of a sea urchin and another wrapped in a screen that will display moving video images during matches. They were shown to reporters in a presentation today in Doha by bid organisers.
The country hosts professional tennis and golf tournaments each year, a cycling race, and was an unsuccessful bidder for the 2016 Olympics. Qatar is competing with countries including the US, Australia and Japan for the 2022 World Cup.
Shane McGinley
Arabian Business