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
LR Health & Beauty Strengthens Its Management Team With Martin Lipp as New Chief Financial Officer (CFO)7.9.2026 16:36:00 EEST | Press release
The LR Health & Beauty GmbH, Europe’s leading social commerce company for high-quality nutritional supplements and beauty products, is strengthening its management team: effective 7 September 2026, Martin Lipp takes over as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and joins the Executive Management Team. In his new role, Martin Lipp will be responsible for Global Controlling & Finance, Legal, IT and Operations. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260907262360/en/ Martin Lipp, new CFO of the LR Group “With Martin Lipp, we are gaining a highly experienced international finance executive with extensive expertise in managing and transforming businesses. During the current transition phase, he will enrich the senior management in particular with his strong transformation expertise and excellent know-how in the areas of finance, operations and IT. Together, we will consistently drive forward the implementation of our strategy with
Capcom’s Onimusha: Way of the Sword Sells Over 1 Million Units on Launch Day!7.9.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Capcom Co., Ltd. (TOKYO:9697) today announced that worldwide sales of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, the latest title in the series, have surpassed 1 million units on the first day of its release. Driven by the performance of this title, cumulative sales of the Onimusha series have now surpassed 10 million units. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260907554827/en/ Onimusha: Way of the Sword key art Onimusha: Way of the Sword, which marks the first new title in the series in over 20 years, is a swordplay action game featuring protagonist Miyamoto Musashi that is set in Edo-era Kyoto. This title enhances the exhilarating sword-based action of the series with cutting-edge technology while also providing a compelling story and beautiful visual depictions. In addition, through several marketing initiatives prior to launch, such as multiple demo releases and hands-on exhibitions, Capcom worked to expand awareness among a
A2RL Sets New International Benchmark with Europe’s First Five-Car Autonomous Race7.9.2026 15:16:00 EEST | Press release
The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) completed the first-ever multi-car autonomous race in Europe at the Imola Circuit in Italy on 5 September 2026, as part of ACI Racing Weekend. Kinetiz (UAE) won the League’s inaugural international race, across 12 laps of one of the most technically demanding circuits in world motorsport. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260907943650/en/ A2RL Sets New International Benchmark with Europe’s First Five-Car Autonomous Race (Photo: AETOSWire) Organised by ASPIRE, the grand challenges arm of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), A2RL brings together key players across Abu Dhabi’s autonomous mobility ecosystem, with strategic oversight from the Smart and Autonomous Systems Council (SASC). A2RL has evolved from a public testbed for AI under extreme race conditions into a competitive racing series. Imola marked the League’s first international chapter foll
Dubai Chambers to Train 14,000 Private Sector Companies in Agentic AI7.9.2026 13:15:00 EEST | Press release
Dubai Chambers has launched specialised Agentic AI training for more than 14,000 private sector companies, helping businesses build the skills needed to adopt the technology across their operations. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260907193930/en/ H.E. Eng. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori speaking during the launch of the training programme (Photo: AETOSWire) The training forms part of Dubai’s wider programme to transition the private sector towards Agentic AI, launched under the directives of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai. Delivered through the new Dubai Chambers Academy, an integrated e-learning platform, the training provides practical guidance on applying Agentic AI in business. Participants will explore tools and solutions that can improve operations, effici
REPLY: A Face Only A Mother Could Love by Robert Gaudette Wins the Reply AI Film Festival 2026, the International Competition Exploring the Intersection of Cinema and Artificial Intelligence7.9.2026 13:02:00 EEST | Press release
Canadian filmmaker Robert Gaudette, with his short film A Face Only A Mother Could Love, has won the Reply AI Film Festival 2026, the international competition created by Reply to explore new frontiers in cinematic language through the use of artificial intelligence. The award was presented on Sunday 6 September in Venice, during a ceremony organised by Reply and Mastercard at the Match Point Arena, set up at Tennis Club Venezia on the Lido, alongside the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260907478421/en/ Canadian filmmaker Robert Gaudette, with his short film A Face Only A Mother Could Love, has won the Reply AI Film Festival 2026, the international competition created by Reply to explore new frontiers in cinematic language through the use of artificial intelligence. Now in its third edition, the Reply AI Film Festival received more than 3,000 short films from 76 countri
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