Audi entices soccer’s biggest names to tournament

04 March 2009 | By Adam Fraser

Length of contract: 1 year | Annualised value: US$7 million | Overall value: US$7 million

German car manufacturer Audi will sponsor a four-team pre-season tournament in Munich's Allianz Arena that will feature Manchester United, Boca Juniors and AC Milan as well as hosts Bayern Munich. The tournament will be known as the Audi Cup.

Manchester United and Boca Juniors will meet in one 'semi-final', while Milan and Bayern will play in the other. The winners will face each other the next day.

Pre-season exhibition matches are an increasingly lucrative source of revenue for clubs. United, for example, will come into the Audi Cup on the back of a tour of China, Malaysia, South Korea and Indonesia.

"We are proud to have attracted these four top teams for the Audi Cup in Munich," said Audi AG chairman Rupert Stadler. "The tournament will be a summer highlight to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Audi brand."

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