By Mark Baber
September 15 – Suzuki Motor Corporation has been unveiled as the title sponsor of the next edition of the South Asian Football Federation Championship which will be known as the SAFF Suzuki Cup 2015.
The ninth edition of the SAFF Football Championship will be held in the Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, from December 23, 2015, to January 3, 2016 featuring the national teams from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Kazi Md. Salahuddin, President, SAFF commented on this, the first title sponsorship for the competition, saying, “Today, football in South Asia is developing rapidly and we are proud that the SAFF Championship is South Asia’s top football event. This year we welcome Suzuki as our title sponsor. We look forward to Suzuki’s support in building the profile of SAFF Suzuki Cup and elevating its stature across Asia.”
Kinji Saito, Managing Officer of Suzuki Motor Corporation said: “We are honoured to become title sponsor of SAFF Suzuki Cup 2015. With SAFF sponsorship, we hope to contribute to the growing popularity of football in South Asia. Also, we would appreciate it if more people get to know our brand through this opportunity.”
Praful Patel, President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said: “It is a great pleasure to host the SAFF Championship in India once again. This time the SAFF Suzuki Cup will be held at the newly launched The Sports Hub, Thiruvananthapuram, which is a world-class complex.”
The draw for the SAFF Suzuki Cup 2015 will be made tomorrow (September 16) in New Delhi.
Suzuki, through its Maruti Suzuki India Ltd subsidiary, is one of the main manufacturers of cars in India, despite an appalling labour relations record. Around 145 workers from the Manesar plant are still detained following a 2012 riot which saw one of the company’s managers burnt to death, whilst earlier this year 425 workers won compensation through the courts for unfair dismissal following that same incident. Pak Suzuki Motor Company is the largest car assembler in Pakistan.
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