China: Budweiser announced its title sponsorship of the Budweiser Manchester United Beijing Cup

Budweiser announced on April 20 its title sponsorship of the Budweiser Manchester United Beijing Cup, the Red Devils’ first appearance in Beijing. Widely expected to be the city’s largest sporting spectacle of the year, the match will also kick off the “True Sports, Unlimited Passion” carnival staged by the “King of Beers” this year.

The soccer extravaganza will feature a galaxy of superstar players as the Red Devils take on the Beijing Hyundai team on July 26 in front of an expected sell-out crowd of 60,000 at Worker’s Stadium in Beijing. This will be Manchester United’s only appearance in mainland China during its four-match, three-city 2005 Asia Tour. The campaign also includes a kick-off match in Hong Kong and two others in Tokyo.

One of the world’s most famous and respected football clubs, Manchester United has won a total of 15 league championships, including eight Premier League titles. The club has the largest fan base in the world.

“All of us at Manchester United are very much looking forward to playing in Beijing for the first time,” said Sir Bobby Charlton, former Manchester United great and soccer legend, at the announcement press conference. “Our Chinese fans are among the most dedicated in the world. We are excited to reward their loyalty by presenting a live game in their backyard.”

“Sports has always been an integral part of the Budweiser spirit which is to add enjoyment to life,” said YR Cheng, chairman of the Budweiser Wuhan International Brewing Company Ltd., “We are proud to play a part in bringing Manchester United to Beijing for the first time. Presenting a world-class game like this gives Budweiser a wonderful opportunity to show our appreciation to Chinese beer drinkers and to share their passion for soccer.”

Manchester United boasts a “Who’s Who” of soccer, with such notables as manager Sir Alex Ferguson, club skipper Roy Keane, superstar striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy, teenage wunderkid Wayne Rooney, key defender Rio Ferdinand, Welsh winger Ryan Giggs and Portuguese attacking midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo.

There is also a powerful international cast of talent with Paul Scholes, Gary and Phil Neville, John O’Shea, Alan Smith, Gabriel Heinze, Luis Saha, Wes Brown and Mikael Silvestre to name but a few.

Manchester United’s Asia Tour is being organized by sports marketing giant IMG, and the Budweiser Manchester United Beijing Cup is hosted by the General Administration of Sport of China and the Beijing Football Association. Ticket information regarding the event will be announced in the near future.

Budweiser, the official beer sponsor of the English F.A. Premier League, also serves as the official beer sponsor of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany. Additionally, Budweiser is the official beer sponsor of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing as well as the China Olympic teams through 2008.

Budweiser is brewed in Wuhan, China by Budweiser Wuhan International Brewing Company, Ltd., a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch. Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. is the leading U.S. brewer and holds a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico’s leading brewer, as well as a minority investment in Tsingtao Brewery Company Ltd., China’s leading brewer. Budweiser also acquired Harbin Brewery Group Ltd., the No. 4 brewer in China, in 2004.

In a survey of 10,000 business leaders and securities analysts, Anheuser-Busch ranked first among beverage companies in quality of products and services researched in FORTUNE magazine’s 2005 “Global Most Admired Companies” listing. The company also is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and is the world’s largest recycler of aluminum beverage containers.

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