Qatar Airways (QA) and Al Sadd Sports Club have unveiled the club’s latest team shirt, in an exciting new video filmed inside the airline’s ultramodern hangar at Hamad International Airport (HIA).
As Main Partner since 2017, QA’s iconic Oryx logo features prominently across the front of the updated Al Sadd shirt in the one-minute video, which captures the excitement of the beautiful game against the backdrop of the airline’s vast maintenance facility.
Al Sadd players, including Qatar national squad Captain Hassan al Haydos, are seen entering the impressive 150,000 square metre hangar building – one of the largest, most advanced in the aviation industry, with enough room to accommodate 13 aircraft of different configurations – before engaging in a fast-paced ‘kick about’ refereed by baton-holding Aircraft Marshalls, and finally revealing the new-look kit.
QA Group Chief Executive Akbar al Baker said, “We are extremely proud of our airline’s extensive sporting partnership portfolio, particularly our links to FIFA and football. We are also excited that fans from across the world will soon be able to see the new-look Al Sadd jersey when the players take to the pitch as the home team at the FIFA Club World Cup in December.
“This tournament will be the ideal opportunity for both the State of Qatar and Qatar Airways to showcase its commitment to the sport in front of millions of fans ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
“In the meantime, we hope that this video helps to show the world a taste of the passion, skill and dedication that exists within our nation’s footballing community, and I cannot think of a more appropriate setting than the impressive surroundings of QA’s world-class, state-of-the-art aircraft hangar.”
QA Senior Vice-President Marketing & Corporate Communications Salam al Shawa said, “As the multi award-winning national carrier of Qatar, the opportunity to work in partnership with the country’s most successful football club is an incredible honour. The new video is our way of showcasing Qatar Airways’ commitment to this much-loved local team, who will carry our logo in pride of place on the front of the squad shirt for the second year running.
The 16th FIFA Club World Cup 2019 is a tournament which will feature the winners from six continental confederations, as well as the host nation’s league champions. It kicks off at Al Sadd stadium on December 11.
European champions Liverpool FC and CONCACAF champions CF Monterrey are among the high profile teams already confirmed to be taking part. QA’s partnership with Al Sadd SC is one of several similar agreements with top-name football clubs across the world, including German Bundesliga giants FC Bayern München AG, much-loved Italian club AS Roma, Argentinian team Boca Juniors and Belgian side K A S Eupen.
In addition to this, the airline is the Official Partner and Official Airline of FIFA, as well as Official Global Airline Partner of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) until 2022.
The National Carrier of Qatar has launched a host of exciting new destinations in 2019, including Lisbon, Portugal; Malta; Rabat, Morocco; Davao, Philippines; Izmir, Turkey; and Mogadishu, Somalia; and will add Langkawi, Malaysia; and Gaborone, Botswana, to its extensive network in October 2019.
A multiple award-winning airline, QA was named ‘Airline of the Year’ for the fifth time by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by international air transport rating organization Skytrax. It was also named ‘World’s Best Business Class’, ‘Best Business Class Seat’ and ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’.
