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.
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