KUALA LUMPUR – The Asean Football Federation (AFF) has announced a new partnership with electrical equipment manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric as the new title sponsor of the AFF Championship.
The championship is set to kick off on December 14 and will be officially titled the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022.
In a statement, AFF president Major General Khiev Sameth said the federation is pleased to have Mitsubishi Electric on board as the new title sponsor.
“As the AFF Championship enters its 14th edition, we must continue to innovate and break new ground to meet tomorrow’s challenges.
“This landmark partnership will herald in a new era for the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup, and I have great optimism that we can propel the tournament to new heights and further lift football in the region together,” he said.
Corporate executive and chief representative for Asia Pacific region of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Kunihiko Seki shared the company’s excitement to be part of the football championship.
“As the world starts to re-open after two difficult years, we are excited to become the title sponsor of the AFF Championship and support AFF’s vision in bringing this unique event to the next level.
We are looking forward to building a better future together with the AFF and bring excitement and joy to many people through this sponsorship,” he said.
Meanwhile, AFF’s commercial rights representative Sportfive’s managing director Malcolm Thorpe thanked Mitsubishi Electric for embracing the region’s biggest footballing tournament as title sponsor.
“This new partnership presents a fantastic opportunity to rally around our collective goal to grow Asean football and chart an exciting future for this event.
“The recent edition of the championship delivered record-breaking ratings with over 260 million television viewers and social media reach of over 657 million with two billion total impressions.
“We are confident that the first edition of the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup this year will see more growth with the planned return to a full home and away format,” he said.
This year’s tournament will be played by 10 qualified teams where they will be split into two groups of five and play a round robin system, with each team playing four fixtures.
The format of the knockout rounds remains unchanged, with the semi-finals and final played on a two-leg format. – The Vibes, May 23, 2022.
