Qatar Airways is to title sponsor FC Barcelona's pre-season tour of Asia in August.
The Spanish league champions are due to play the Thailand national team in Bangkok on 7th August and an all-star Malaysian league team three days later in Kuala Lumpur.
The airline officially became the club's shirt sponsor this week following a deal made public in November and formally announced in March. It is the first for-profit commercial entity to adorn the front of Barcelona's shirts and will do so for the next three years, as part of a wider deal between the club and Qatar Sports Investments.
“Both Qatar Airways and FC Barcelona have a large and loyal fan base in Southeast Asia,” Qatar Airways' chief executive Akbar al-Baker was quoted as saying.
“We are pleased to work with Barcelona to take the tour to a region with the most Barça fans in the world. The matches will be a pure adrenaline rush for every fan who has dreamt of watching FCB in action. This is just a taste of what is to come as we move forward over the next three years with our partnership with FC Barcelona.”
Sandro Rosell, FC Barcelona's president, added: “We are pleased that the club is returning to Asia this summer with Qatar Airways, our travelling companion.”
It is the first time since 2002 that FC Barcelona have visited Thailand and the club's first trip to Malaysia.
Barcelona – Qatar Airways
