Sharp becomes the seventh UEFA EURO 2012 global partner

UEFA announced the appointment of Sharp as an official sponsor for UEFA EURO 2012 and  EUROTOP partner covering all national team competitions within the programme until end of 2013.

Under this agreement Sharp becomes the exclusive partner of audio-visual equipment and solar-related products for the next edition of UEFA’s flagship national team competition which will take place in Poland/Ukraine in the summer of 2012.

Sharp therefore becomes the seventh global partner for UEFA EURO 2012 following on from the previous announcement of the adidas, Castrol, Coca-Cola, Hyundai-Kia, Carlsberg and McDonald’s agreements.

As part of its sponsorship agreement, which includes integrated broadcast sponsorship rights in Europe, Sharp will activate various football led marketing campaigns to enhance brand awareness and Sharp will also provide UEFA with leading edge audio-visual products and solutions to help deliver best in class national team competitions.

“UEFA EURO is the premier football event for European national teams, and is a major event that will draw the attention of millions of fans and consumers not only in Europe, but also around the globe. In addition, 2012 is also the year we celebrate Sharp’s centennial anniversary. I am honored we will have the opportunity to be a EUROTOP partner for UEFA EURO 2012 in the milestone year of our hundredth anniversary. Through this sponsorship, we intend to boost Sharp’s brand value and work to further enhance our business in Europe” said  Toshishige Hamano, Representative Director and Executive Vice President of Sharp.

Commenting on the signing, David Taylor, CEO of UEFA Events SA, said:

“We are really pleased to welcome back Sharp to  our exclusive group of partners after the fruitful relationship we enjoyed between 2003 and 2006.

“Sharp has an established football heritage and this agreement marks the start of a new era in our partnership which will be beneficial to all of UEFA’s elite national team competitions under the EUROTOP umbrella.”

England vs Bulgaria 4-0: England won against Bulgaria 4-0 in a Euro 2012 qualifier at Wembley stadium.

Jermain Defoe scored a hat-trick (2’, 61’, 86’) , Adam Johnson scored for 3-0 (83’), while Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney returned to form.

It was England’s squad first competitive match since their 1-4 humiliation against Germany in the last 16 of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Fabio Capello made four changes from the team that started the match against Germany, they made a difference to the team’s shape and attitude.

Injured John Terry and Frank Lampard were absent.

England: Hart; G Johnson, Dawson, Jagielka, A Cole; Walcott, Milner, Barry, Gerrard; Defoe, Rooney; Subs: Foster, Gibbs, Cahill, Carrick, Johnson, Young, Bent

Bulgaria: Bulgaria: Mihailov, Ivanov, Milanov, Manolev, Iliyan Stoyanov, Yankov, Angelov, Stiliyan Petrov, Martin Petrov, Bojinov, Popov; Subs: Vladislav Stoyanov, Minev, Kamburov, Rangelov, Peev, Domovchiyski, Genchev

Carlsberg becomes the fifth UEFA EURO 2012 global partner

UEFA and Carlsberg announced an extension of their long term sponsorship agreement for UEFA’s flagship national team competition, a relationship which began in 1988 at the UEFA European Championship in the former West Germany.

Carlsberg therefore becomes the fifth global partner for UEFA EURO 2012 following on from the previous announcement of the adidas, Castrol, Coca-Cola and Hyundai-Kia agreements.

As part of this sponsorship agreement, Carlsberg will benefit from  exclusive marketing rights for alcoholic beverages within official premises of the competitions. Carlsberg will also continue to offer European football fans sole and exclusive programmes such as the opportunity to present the “Carlsberg Man of the Match Awards”.

In addition to the partnership of UEFA EURO 2012 Carlsberg will also benefit from global marketing rights for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2011 to be held in Denmark.

”With EURO 2012 we cement our many years of  loyalty to and enthusiasm for premium European football,” said Jørgen Buhl Rasmussen, CEO of Carlsberg Group. “EURO 2012 is not only a milestone for Carlsberg, being an official sponsor for almost a quarter of a century, but excitingly it is also the first ever UEFA EURO to be hosted in Eastern Europe.”

“The interest and tradition for football in the host countries, with a total of over 80 million inhabitants, is enormous and therefore we are thrilled to be part of this exciting tournament, We are creating history together with UEFA and all our employees in Poland and Ukraine,” he added.

Commenting on the signing, David Taylor, CEO of UEFA Events SA, said:

“The UEFA European Championship has benefitted from the partnership with Carlsberg for more than two decades, and we are proud to extend this relationship with such a recognised and dedicated brand.

“The imagery behind the UEFA EURO 2012 logo represents a plant that grows and grows – the same goes for the relationship between Carlsberg and UEFA European Championship.”

Hyundai-Kia becomes EUROTOP partner

UEFA has announced at a signing ceremony in Seoul, South Korea, an agreement with Hyundai Motor Company to appoint Hyundai-Kia as the official automotive partner for both UEFA EURO 2012™ and UEFA EURO 2016™.

This agreement means that Hyundai-Kia will become the exclusive supplier of official vehicles for the next two final tournaments of UEFA’s flagship national team competition.

In addition to the two above-mentioned EUROs, as a member of the UEFA EUROTOP commercial programme, Hyundai-Kia will also be the official automotive  partner for all UEFA EUROTOP competitions until 2017 including; the UEFA European Under-21 Championship (editions 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017), the UEFA Women’s European Football Championship (editions 2013 & 2017) and the UEFA European Futsal Championship (editions 2012, 2014 and 2016).

As part of its sponsorship agreement, which includes integrated broadcast sponsorship rights in Europe, Hyundai-Kia will activate various marketing and promotional campaigns.

Hyundai Motor Company has already been a long-standing partner of UEFA since UEFA EURO 2000™ in Belgium/Netherlands and delivered the fleet of vehicles that were used both at UEFA EURO 2004™ and UEFA EURO 2008™, ensuring the safe and  comfortable transportation of players, officials, and guests to and around the various venues.

Commenting on the signing, David Taylor, CEO of UEFA Events SA, said:
“We are delighted to once again have Hyundai-Kia involved as the official automotive partner for the next two editions of the UEFA European Football Championships, including the forthcoming UEFA EURO 2012 in Poland/Ukraine.
“We look forward to taking an already successful partnership, which dates back to UEFA EURO 2000, to new levels.”

At the ceremony, Mong-Koo Chung, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Company, said:
“Hyundai’s partnership with UEFA  over the past ten years, which includes Kia since UEFA EURO 2008, has provided Hyundai-Kia with the perfect platform for connecting with our European customers to raise both Hyundai’s and Kia’s profiles in Europe, the home of football. We’re delighted to be extending our partnership to work and grow together with UEFA and reach our common marketing objectives.”

Coca-Cola becomes the third UEFA EURO 2012™ global partner

UEFA and Coca-Cola announced an extension of their long term sponsorship agreement during a special ceremony at the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, the very same location where the draw for the qualifying competition of UEFA EURO 2012™ was held on last 7 February.

UEFA and Coca-Cola officially signed the agreement which will cover all competitions listed under the UEFA EUROTOP programme until 2017.

Coca-Cola therefore becomes the third global partner for UEFA’s flagship national team competition following on from the previous announcement of the adidas and Castrol agreements.

As part of its sponsorship agreement, which includes integrated broadcast sponsorship rights in Europe, Coca-Cola will continue to offer football fans sole and exclusive programmes such as “flag bearers” and “ultimate access”. In addition, Coca-Cola will benefit from exclusive marketing rights for non-alcoholic beverages in official premises of the competitions.

“Our long partnership with UEFA has proven to be very successful and we are proud to officially announce its renewal.” said Dirk Veryser, Business Unit President Coca-Cola Northern Central Europe.

“I’m happy that for the first time in history an event like UEFA EURO 2012™ will be organised in this part of the world. The event offers Coca-Cola a unique opportunity to refresh and share the joy of football with millions of fans as well as strengthen our position on the non-alcoholic beverage market in Poland and Ukraine.” he added.

Commenting on the announcement, David Taylor, CEO of UEFA Events S.A., said:

“The commitment of Coca-Cola to sponsor  UEFA EURO 2012™ and all our EUROTOP competitions is a further vote of confidence in the tournaments we organise and we are delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with Coca-Cola.”

UEFA Events SA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UEFA and has been created to manage and handle UEFA’s commercial and event operations.

In addition to UEFA EURO 2012™ and UEFA  EURO 2016™, the UEFA EUROTOP programme includes other national team competitions, such as the UEFA European Under-21 Championship (2011, 2013, 2015 & 2017), the UEFA European Women’s Championship 2013 and 2017, and the UEFA Futsal Championships 2012, 2014 and 2016.

Further global sponsorship agreements are expected to be made imminently.

ARD and ZDF appointed Official Broadcasters of UEFA EURO 2012™

UEFA announced an agreement with ARD and ZDF for the broadcasting rights of UEFA EURO 2012™ in Germany.

The two public broadcasters have been long-term partners of UEFA for national team competitions in Germany and had a very successful coverage of UEFA EURO 2008™ in terms of audience figures.

The deal will ensure extensive free-to-air coverage with 27 matches live via channels Das Erste and ZDF. Dedicated magazines and highlights programmes will complement the offering on both broadcasters. In addition, coverage of the competition will also be made available via internet, mobile and radio.

The right to licence the four overlapping matches to other Free-TV channels and all Pay-TV rights remains with UEFA.

Commenting on the agreement, David Taylor, CEO of UEFA Events S.A. said:

“UEFA is delighted to renew this agreement with ARD and ZDF, two long-standing and experienced partners in broadcasting major sports events.

“Having established a very good relationship with both broadcasters, UEFA is looking forward to providing a unique viewing experience to football fans in Germany by offering an extensive coverage of UEFA EURO 2012TM.”

The groups will be contested according to a league system on a home-and-away basis, with games scheduled between September 2010 and October 2011.

The nine winners and the runner-up with the best record against the top five sides in their pool qualify directly for the final tournament, the last before the championship is expanded to 24 teams. The eight remaining runners-up go into play-off matches in November 2011 to decide the final four sides to join co-hosts Poland and Ukraine.

Group A
Germany
Turkey
Austria
Belgium
Kazakhstan
Azerbaijan

Group B
Russia
Slovakia
Republic of Ireland
FYR Macedonia
Armenia
Andorra

Group C
Italy
Serbia
Northern Ireland
Slovenia
Estonia
Faroe Islands

Group D
France
Romania
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Belarus
Albania
Luxembourg

Group E
Netherlands
Sweden
Finland
Hungary
Moldova
San Marino

Group F
Croatia
Greece
Israel
Latvia
Georgia
Malta

Group G
England
Switzerland
Bulgaria
Wales
Montenegro

Group H
Portugal
Denmark
Norway
Cyprus
Iceland

Group I
Spain
Czech Republic
Scotland
Lithuania
Liechtenstein

Bye to finals (hosts)
Poland
Ukraine

Castrol becomes the second UEFA EURO 2012™ global partner

UEFA and Castrol announced that their partnership, which started in Austria and Switzerland for UEFA EURO 2008™, will continue with UEFA EURO 2012™ in Poland and Ukraine. Castrol therefore become the second global partner for UEFA’s flagship national team competition following on from the previous announcement of the adidas agreement.

Castrol used its UEFA EURO 2008™ sponsorship to launch and pioneer the Castrol Index and subsequently the Castrol Rankings, innovative ways of objectively measuring and ranking player performance, which were developed using exclusive data and with the advice from football experts. These programmes will remain key pillars of their approach to the UEFA EURO 2012™ agreement.

“Our investment in football has proved a tremendous success and allowed Castrol to add value to our business partners; excited and rewarded fans; and motivated our staff,” said Senior Vice President for Lubricants, Mike Johnson.

Commenting on the announcement, David Taylor, CEO of UEFA Events S.A., said:

“The commitment of Castrol to sponsor UEFA EURO 2012™ is a further vote of confidence in the tournament ahead of the Qualifying Draw in Warsaw on 7 February.
“Castrol has proven to be an innovative partner for UEFA and European football and we are delighted that this mutually beneficial relationship is set to continue.”

Al Jazeera Sport awarded rights for UEFA EURO 2012 and 2016™

UEFA announced that it has awarded the UEFA EURO 2012™ and UEFA EURO 2016™ media rights in the Middle East and North Africa to Al Jazeera Sport.

Al Jazeera Sport is a long term partner of UEFA for national team competitions in the Middle East and North Africa. They have been broadcasting the UEFA European Football Championship since 2004 and have a proven track record of high quality production and programming. They currently also exploit the media rights for the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League for the period 2009-12.

Al Jazeera Sport is committed to providing strong and extensive coverage on its pay platform hich will deliver UEFA EURO 2012™ and UEFA EURO 2016™ to football fans throughout the Middle East and North Africa. In addition, Al Jazeera Sport will provide delayed coverage of the competition on its free-to-air sports channel. The platform neutral approach undertaken by UEFA means that Al Jazeera Sport has also been granted internet and mobile exploitation for all matches.

Commenting on the award of rights in the region, UEFA said:

“UEFA is delighted to further extend its successful partnership with Al Jazeera Sport in the Middle East and North Africa.

“Al Jazeera Sport is a reliable partner whose high production standards will help promote football in the region and we are looking forward to continuing our long-standing collaboration with them in order to further enhance the football fans’ EURO viewing experience.”

Agreement covering 36 European territories

UEFA announced an exclusive agreement for the broadcasting rights of UEFA EURO 2012™ with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). This deal covers a total of 36 European territories (see list attached). EBU members will be granted the broadcasting rights in 29 of these
36 territories.

In those 29 territories, a minimum of 27 of the 31 matches will be broadcast live on free-to-air channels, as well as dedicated magazines and highlights programmes. Football fans will also be able to enjoy the tournament coverage via the Internet portals and mobile platforms of these official broadcasters as well as via EBU members’ radio stations.

In a further 7 countries, UEFA and the EBU will work together to identify the best platform for the broadcasting of such rights.

Commenting on the agreement, UEFA General Secretary David Taylor said:

“UEFA is delighted to have reached such a significant agreement with the EBU and we are looking forward to working together to offer football fans across Europe an extensive coverage of the competition already during the qualifying phase of the tournament.

“The EBU members are experienced partners in the broadcasting of major international sports events and their expertise, coupled with the leading position in their respective markets, will no doubt be to the benefit of football viewers in Europe.

“To have such a wide-reaching broadcasting platform in place nearly one year prior to the start of the qualifying competition will help promote UEFA EURO 2012™ and is highly positive for the development of European football.”

EBU President Jean-Paul Philippot also expressed his satisfaction:

“I am very pleased that we have reached an agreement with UEFA for UEFA EURO 2012™. The EBU is extremely keen to fully support this unique and spectacular event.”

He went on to say:

“This deal provides UEFA with a strong and reliable broadcast commitment from EBU members and shall enable the further development of this competition and football as a whole”.

Rights attributed via agreement with EBU
29 Territories (Free to Air)
Albania
Armenia
Austria
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Estonia
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Georgia
Greece
Iceland
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Moldova
Montenegro
Republic of Ireland
Romania
Russian Federation
Serbia
Slovenia
Switzerland
Turkey

Rights to be attributed in cooperation with EBU
7 Territories
Azerbaijan
Czech Republic
Hungary
Israel
Kazakhstan
Portugal
Slovakia