Beirut, Lebanon, on 26 October 2016: Alfa CEO and Chairman Marwan Hayek signed today an Alfa Futsal Championship sponsorship deal for the 2016-2017 season with Any Events, the organizing company represented by Boudy Maalouli and Rami Fawaz. This took place in the presence of the Lebanese Football Federation President Hashem Haidar and Secretary General Jihad el-Chohof, members of the Executive Committee Mazen Kobeissi and Simon Doueihy, as well as the administrative body at Alfa.
The signing ceremony took place at the headquarters of Alfa, managed by Orascom Telecom, at the Parallel Towers in Dekwaneh.
Hayek
Hayek welcomed Haidar, the organizers of the Alfa Futsal Championship, and the media, saying, “We are witnessing an event that is unique for us, as we are adding the company’s name to a new championship in Lebanon”. He added, “Our support for sports has steadily increased for the past seven years, and it included our support for the Lebanese Football League which is now known as the Alfa Lebanese League. We also sponsored the Alfa Beach Soccer championship this year, which was a very rewarding experience, and today we are announcing that the name of the Futsal Championship will become the Alfa Futsal Championship”.
Hayek pointed out that Alfa’s backing of sports is not limited to football, but rather includes sports in general, starting with basketball, which was the first sport Alfa supported in Lebanon. “We then extended our support to every sport that needed backing, and provided support where possible, and our aim as a socially responsible company is to manifest our support for the guardians and keepers of sports in Lebanon and stand by them”.
He added, “Our support for sports is part of our Alfa 4-Life CSR program, which we launched in 2006 to support social activities and which was extended to include sports activities. This is something we are proud of, as we may be the only company in Lebanon that has such an inclusive view in supporting individual or team sports. We also sponsored the Lebanese judo Champion Nassif Elias in the Rio 2016 Olympics and the Al Riyadi club in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup, among others, and we are honored to be present alongside the athletes so that they can fulfill their sporting careers”.
Hayek pointed out that futsal has a promising future in Lebanon and around the world, and that the Lebanese futsal national team is achieving remarkable results, adding: “I hope that our support will be extended to include the Lebanese futsal team taking part in tournaments in Asia and the world so we can promote our dear Lebanon together and achieve excellent results”.
Maalouli
Maalouli thanked Hayek for Alfa’s support to sports, pointing out that this is the second collaboration between the two companies after the Alfa Beach Soccer Championship. He indicated that the support offered by companies and institutions is essential for the development of sports. He also noted the large futsal audience in the stadiums, pointing to the importance of Alfa’s sponsorship, hoping that other companies would follow suit in supporting sports and athletes.
Haidar
For his part, Haidar said, “We are gathered today to sign a futsal sponsorship deal by Alfa for 2016-2017 and to congratulate Alfa and Any Events on this important step. This game is widely popular, particularly in Lebanon, which holds a fine ranking in Asia and the world”.
He added, “The broad popularity enjoyed by futsal in Lebanon is the result of the cooperation between the Lebanese Football Federation and Any Events, which has led to outstanding results”.
Haidar also said, “Alfa’s investment in futsal is the right thing in the right place, and Alfa should be congratulated for its support to different types of Lebanese sports”. He pointed out that the national futsal team could also be sponsored, as well as the first national football team that is awaiting the playoffs to qualify for the Asian Cup in 2019.
In the end, Hayek and Maalouli signed the sponsorship deal.