NYON: Carlsberg has extended its long-running sponsorship of UEFA’s national team competitions in a deal which makes it the first partner to endorse the new centralised marketing programme of European football’s governing body.

The Danish beer brand has been an official sponsor of the European Championship since 1988 in West Germany. It remains an official sponsor and has acquired rights in connection with the European qualifiers from 2014 to 2017.

Carlsberg becomes the sixth global partner of the European Championship after Coca-Cola, Adidas, McDonald’s, Hyundai/Kia and Continental.

Qualification games for Euro 2016 are set to be the first featured under

UEFA’s Week of Football initiative, which would see international matches played on six consecutive days.

Last October UEFA formalised a tie-up with CAA Eleven, which secured a deal to distribute a new centralised package of European national team rights, in a bid to copy the European clubs competition model.

CAA’s deal runs from 2014-18 and covers the qualification process for Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. CAA is managing the broadcasting, sponsorship and licensing rights for all of the games in the package on behalf of UEFA.

Last month UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino described centralisation as the “most important evolution” in European football since the inception of the Champions League in 1992. He was speaking at the Soccerex European Forum.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, marketing director of UEFA Events SA, added: “Carlsberg has been a loyal and committed partner throughout this period, and it is fantastic that our partnership continues.

“Carlsberg is one of the leading brands in football, and the first partner to endorse UEFA’s new marketing platform, which includes the UEFA European Football Championship and the European qualifiers.”

Tom Moradpour, vice-president of the Carlsberg Brand, said: “The sponsorship of UEFA’s national team competitions provides us with a fantastic platform to raise further the international profile of the Carlsberg brand and its values, while giving us another opportunity to create unique experiences for fans of both football and Carlsberg.”

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