By Mark Baber
September 26 – Spanish football is developing ties with the Gulf State of Dubai and has announced plans for La Liga to open an office in the Dubai Airport Freezone (DAFZA). Dubai’s bid to host the World Expo 2020 is also being heavily promoted in Spanish stadiums.
La Liga’s office in DAFZA will be its first outside of Spain and will aim to attract more sponsorship from the region.
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of DAFZA, said: “Dubai Airport Freezone has succeeded in partnering with one of the biggest names in the sporting realm.”
Javier Tebas, president of La Liga, said: “Dubai Airport Freezone was our first choice for its prime location and attractive investment opportunities.
“The Freezone provides world class services and facilities that cater to our needs as we act as an intermediary between prospective sponsors and Spanish teams, closer to the Spanish soccer fans in the region.”
Dubai’s bid to host the World Expo 2020 was advertised on hoardings at all 10 La Liga stadia this weekend, whilst Sevilla adopted the Dubai Expo 2020 logo as their shirt sponsor for their home match against Rayo Vallecano.
If Dubai wins the bid to host the Expo in November, against opposition from Yekaterinburg in Russia, Izmir in Turkey and Sao Paulo in Brazil, the tiny Gulf kingdom could expect a windfall of $23 billion, over 25 million visitors and 277,000 new jobs, according to research from Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Spain’s ties to the Gulf include sponsorship by Qatar Airways and Emirates for FC Barcelona and Real Madrid and Abdullah bin Nasser bin Abdullah Al Ahmed Al Thani ownership of Malaga CF.
Real Madrid will be playing in a friendly tournament in the UAE in January and according to La Liga president Javier Tebas: “La Liga is working on kick-off times in order to service our fans in Asia and MENA.”
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