Heineken Hosts Biggest UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour in Africa
11.5.2022 09:59:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
In its continuing effort to bring the UEFA Champions League (UCL) experience closer to more football fans around the world, Heineken has staged its most elaborate Trophy Tour in Africa yet. The 10-day tour, which ended on April 13 in Abuja, Nigeria, ahead of the 2022 final match on May 28, included several public events that featured the UCL trophy at major stops in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. Fans from Rwanda and Congo Brazzaville also attended the tour in Nigeria and DRC respectively.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220509006222/en/
Clarence Seedorf on tour with the UEFA Champions League trophy in Ethiopia, as part of the pan-African tour, courtesy of Heineken.
The events around the tour included open-truck city parades, novelty matches with local celebrities, UCL quarter final match viewings, fan meet and greets, photo sessions, media rounds, Afrobeats concerts, and visits to government ministries in charge of football.
Heineken, sold in 192 countries around the world, has been a sponsor of the UEFA Champions League since 2005 and the company’s leadership said its Africa-wide trophy tour for the 2021/2022 season was structured to reach 50,000 Africans directly while an estimated 10 million more are reached via media coverage.
A highlight of the trophy tour was a Heineken-sponsored football match in Lagos, Nigeria. It pitted Nigerian music superstars and football legends against senior staff of Nigerian Breweries, which is the local Heineken brewer, and the Trophy Tour Ambassador, professional coach and former Dutch international midfielder, Clarence Seedorf.
BET Awards-winning Afrobeats star Davido captained Team Nigeria, which had ex-Nigerian internationals Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Daniel Amokachi, and Taribo West. Also on the squad were rapper M.I. Abaga, R&B singer Darey, and Nigerian Breweries Marketing Director, Emmanuel Oriakhi. Seedorf led Team Heineken, playing, among others, Nigerian Breweries Finance Director, Rob Kleinjan; and the company’s Supply Chain Director, Martin Kochl.
The novelty match preceded an Afrobeats concert that was headlined by African superstar, Davido and Peruzzi, another topflight Nigerian singer. Members of the Heineken management team and Seedorf then met with the Nigerian Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, at the MKO Abiola stadium in Abuja, the country’s capital.
The Union of European Football Associations, the umbrella organisation for 55 national football associations across Europe, organizes the Champions League as an annual competition among top-division football clubs. The 2022 final match is slated for May 28 at the Stade de France in Paris.
“The goal of the Trophy Tour is to inspire a new generation of African footballers and appreciate fans for their love of the UEFA Champions League and Heineken,” said Heineken’s Senior Global Director, Bram Westerbrink.
The continent’s importance to the growth of football and the UCL is evident, Bram also noted. Several European clubs in the English, French, Italian, Spanish, and German leagues have notable African following, with many of the fans organising meetups and celebrations when their favourite teams record tournament successes. With more than 100 Africans currently playing professionally, over 25 Champions League winners from Africa, and about 300 million African fans, football has taken hold as the most popular sport on the continent.
“This is why Heineken is proud to celebrate its association with the UEFA Champions League,” said Hans Erik Tuijt, Director, Global Heineken Sponsorships, adding that Heineken has the highest awareness on the continent as a sponsor of the UEFA Champions League.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220509006222/en/
Contact information
Enitan Kehinde
Enitan@bhmng.uk
+447899410249
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Incyte Announces FDA Approval of Jakafi XR™ (ruxolitinib) Extended-Release Tablets for the Treatment of Myelofibrosis, Polycythemia Vera and Graft-Versus-Host Disease2.5.2026 00:28:00 EEST | Press release
Incyte (Nasdaq:INCY) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Jakafi XR™ (ruxolitinib) extended-release tablets for the treatment of adults with intermediate- or high-risk myelofibrosis (MF); adults with polycythemia vera (PV) who have had an inadequate response to or are intolerant of hydroxyurea; as well as adults and children aged 12 years and older with steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) or chronic GVHD after failure of one or two lines of systemic therapy. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260501334677/en/ “The approval of Jakafi XR reinforces Incyte’s leadership in hematology and our focus on meeting the evolving needs of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and GVHD,” said Bill Meury, Chief Executive Officer, Incyte. “Jakafi XR offers appropriate patients and physicians a once-daily option, expanding choice without changing the well-
Barilla Hosts Surprise Formula 1® Family Reunion Dinner During Miami Race Weekend1.5.2026 19:08:00 EEST | Press release
A special invitation, a table, and a plate of pasta shared by people who are often apart. That’s all it took for Barilla to bring the spirit of togetherness to Miami during the opening day of the FORMULA 1® CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2026. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260430832316/en/ Barilla hosts Arvid Lindblad, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Nico Rosberg with Chef Massimo Bottura at Torno Subito, where the Formula 1® community came together for a surprise dinner. Barilla, the Official Pasta Partner of Formula 1®, welcomed team members and their families to Torno Subito Miami, the restaurant by three-Michelin-starred Chef Massimo Bottura, with the kitchen led by Chef Bernardo Paladini, for an evening where engines were switched off and everyday life took center stage. The night also celebrated the start of the new partnership between Barilla and the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (VCARB) Formula 1® Team, a meeting of
TIME Names Xenco Medical one of the TIME100 Most Influential Companies in the World and the Winner of the 2026 TIME100 Impact Award in Health1.5.2026 13:07:00 EEST | Press release
Time Magazine has named pioneering medical technology company Xenco Medical as one of the TIME100 Most Influential Companies in the World and the Winner of the 2026 TIME100 Impact Award in Health. Widely regarded as the most prestigious recognition in business and technology, being selected to the TIME100 List remains the most coveted accolade that a company can achieve globally. The TIME100 Impact Awards are given to only 5 recipients each year, making it the rarest of honors that a company can receive and a profound recognition of transformative, global impact. Xenco Medical was honored by Time as the sole recipient of the TIME100 Impact Award in Health in 2026, signifying its leading, global distinction in impact on healthcare. According to Time Magazine, the TIME100 Most Influential Companies list highlights “companies making an extraordinary impact around the world.” The honor bestowed by Time comes after Xenco Medical was named the 2025 Medical Device/ Diagnostics Company of the
Inspirit Capital Completes Acquisition of Kaplan Languages Group1.5.2026 02:17:00 EEST | Press release
Inspirit Capital, a specialist investor in corporate carve-outs, and Kaplan, the global education company, have announced the completion of Inspirit’s acquisition of Kaplan Languages Group (KLG) from Kaplan. Financial terms are not being disclosed. KLG, a leading global language education platform, comprises Kaplan International Languages, Alpadia Language Schools, Azurlingua, and ESL Education. Inspirit Capital will support KLG in delivering on its ambitious growth plans, whilst continuing its fundamental mission to transform lives through language education. The next phase of ownership will see the development and launch of a refreshed standalone brand identity for KLG, with further announcements to follow on this in due course. KLG will continue to use the Kaplan name under a transitional license from Kaplan, Inc. until a new brand is announced. About Kaplan Languages Group Since 2006, KLG has provided the highest quality language education and cultural immersion experiences. Kaplan
Grindr Nominates Three New Directors to Its Board of Directors1.5.2026 00:16:00 EEST | Press release
Grindr Inc. (NYSE: GRND), the Global Gayborhood in Your Pocket™, today announced the nomination of Rob Solomon, Lisa Gersh, and Fadi Hanna to stand for election to its Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders on June 2, 2026. Rob Solomon is a deeply seasoned technology CEO and operator in consumer internet and marketplaces. He has held CEO and COO roles at scaled platforms including GoFundMe, Groupon, and Kayak-predecessor SideStep, and is currently CEO of leading electric aviation company H55. Lisa Gersh is a CEO and long-tenured public company director with deep experience across consumer brands, media, and commerce. She has served on the Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) board since 2010 and has led businesses including Oxygen Media, GOOP, and Alexander Wang. Fadi Hanna is Chief Risk Officer at Bloomberg L.P., overseeing enterprise risk across the organization. He previously worked at J.P. Morgan and has served on the board of Immigration Equality. “Over the last few years, we bu
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom