HENKEL and DFB joined forces with the German Soccer Association (DFB) to become the Official Partner of the DFB and the Official Premium Partner of the women's national team. “A strong team is the basis for success. Be it on the soccer field or in the economy”, believes Kasper Rorsted – CEO, Henkel. “Besides our love for the sport, we also share our passion for pursuing excellence in whatever we do,” he added. Germany's renowned football association, DFB has also expressed its enthusiasm for this partnership. “With Henkel and the German Soccer Association, strong and motivated teams that stand for dynamism, success and reliability come together. This partnership unites two top performers “made in Germany”, who both are internationally successful and enjoy a great reputation worldwide,” said DFB General Secretary Helmut Sandrock. Henkel will actively support the DFB in various ways, specifically by supporting the women's national team as a Premium-Partner. “Women's soccer has gained more and more importance in the last few years. We have a great team that plays at the highest level internationally. I am therefore particularly happy about Henkel becoming a Premium-Partner and supporting women's soccer,” said Steffi Jones, DFB Director for women's and girls' soccer. Besides the positioning on the local German market, the partnership will also promote the international positioning of the corporate Henkel brand and product brands within the consumer and industrial businesses. Henkel is one of the strongest global companies in the DAX with more than 80% of its sales generated abroad. “After their stunning performance in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the German football team has garnered quite a fan following in the GCC countries. Their victory has confirmed their football team's supremacy on almost every measure. Numerous European newspapers have stated that German football is on the rise and the one to watch”, said Hattan Al Ghalayini, Corporate Communications Manager for Henkel in the GCC. “We are proud of this partnership with DBF.” Football has been a popular spot in the Middle East and the fan base is growing each year. According to a recent survey, the FIFA Football World Cup was cited as the most popular football event by more than half of respondents to the survey who were from the Middle East and North Africa (55%). The popularity of the sport further increased by recent events like Dubai Challenge Cup, as the last edition saw a match between Real Madrid and AC Milan in Dubai, two of the world's best football clubs. Dubai Sports television channel, part of Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI), was one of the first exclusive channels to broadcast Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league in the Middle East. Moreover, GCC countries are becoming popular destinations for top global European teams in their training camps. German football giant, Bayern Munchen had their annual training camp in Qatar in January 2015 this year. Before heading back to Germany, the Bavarian team played a friendly match with Al Hilal FC from Saudi Arabia, one of the biggest teams in Asia. To top it all, Qatar will became the first Middle Eastern hosts of the World Cup after the 22 executive committee members had awarded it with the 2022 tournament. — SG
