Heineken event speech by Koen Morshuis, General Manager, Heineken EA

Mheshimiwa waziri wa ofisi ya Raisi, Utawala Bora,

Ndugu Mathias Chikawe,

Wageni waalikwa,

Mabibi na mabwana.

Habari za jioni?

Ninayo furaha ya kuwa ndani ya Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania.
On behalf of Heineken, I am delighted to be here with you this evening for
this very special occasion. Your presence here today demonstrates the
significant importance that you accord this special event, which pleases
and humbles us deeply. On behalf of the Heineken East Africa team, I thank
you for that.

Before we start on the actual reason for being here, please allow me to
share some highlights that make this occasion very special.

The UEFA Champions League is the most popular club football competition in
the world. UEFA created the UEFA Champions League back in 1992 from what
was previously known as the European Champions Clubs Cup, which dates back
to 1955. Twenty years later, it has a cumulative audience of 4.3 billion, a
global live audience of 1.1 billion, 55,000 hours of total coverage, 12,000
hours of live coverage, and distribution in 220 territories around the
world. The current Trophy has been an icon for many football fans since its
first introduction in 1967.

Its unique shape and size make it one of the most recognizable icons of the
UEFA Champions League, and the act of lifting it represents having won the
ultimate club football prize, therefore adding to its mystique and appeal
for both fans and players alike.

In May 2011, Heineken International announced that it had extended its
contract with UEFA to sponsor the UEFA Champions League for a further three
years. The 2011/12 season is the seventh consecutive year Heineken has
sponsored the prestigious UCL.

Heineken’s and UEFA’s main goal is to share the unique and memorable
experiences of the UEFA Champions League with fans all over the world, and
what better way than to be able to see the very prestigious Trophy itself
up close. Heineken is the biggest global premium beer brand, available in
almost every country in the world. Heineken originates from Amsterdam, the
Netherlands and therefore I am very delighted to have the Ambassador of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands, his Excellency Mr. Koekkoek with us at this
special moment in time, Your Excellency, thanks for being with us tonight.

As we like to say within Heineken “We were born in Amsterdam, but raised by
the world”. How great is it to be connected to the UEFA Champions League,
the biggest annual sporting event in the world !!

*The UEFA Champions League Tr**ophy Tour 2012 *presented by Heineken is a

true example of the globalization of both Heineken and the UEFA Champions
League where this year we touch ground with the actual Trophy in Mexico,
East Africa and China.

The choice of having the UEFA Champions League Trophy in Dar es Salaam at
this moment in time has of course a special reason. It s a fact that
Heineken has clearly recognized the potential of East Africa and therefore,
Heineken are currently setting up Operating Companies in Tanzania, Kenya
and Uganda. We are in the final stages of setting up our operations in
Tanzania and are recruiting a significant number of Tanzanians to support
our growth in the country.

We can say that we have experienced the warmth, ambition and dedication of
the Tanzanian people and feel welcome in your country, Asante Sana for
that….

I would also like to say a special Thank You to Mr and Mrs James
Rugemalira from
Mabibo Wines and Spirits and their team who have been the driving force
behind the success of Heineken in Tanzania over the last 17 years. We wish
you plenty of success on your renewed focus on the Windhoek and Xi brands
in Tanzania and are happy that you can share this special moment tonight
with us.

We are very excited to present the one and only UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
TROPHY. It is made of silver 925 on the outside, is gold plated on the
inside, and is engraved with the names of ALL the winners since 1956.

Now let us turn to the moment we have been waiting for: The official
unveiling of the UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TROPHY TOUR PRESENTED BY HEINEKEN.

Ndugu Mathias Chikawe, may I please invite you to come forward and
officially unveil THE ICON of the Champions of Champions……..

 

Thank You