AFC and Continental Tires Announce Renewal of Sponsorship Rights Deal

Premium tire manufacturer Continental Tires to be an Official Partner of AFC national team competitions for 2021-2024.

Continental Tires has been an exclusive partner of the Asian Football Confederation since 2015.

SHANGHAI,Dec. 16,2020 -- Continental Tires had today announced the extension of its partnership with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the upcoming four-years rights cycle. Continental Tires will continue to be the Official Tire Partner of the AFC national team competitions and the exclusive sponsor in the tire category.

Dato Windsor John,the AFC General Secretary,said,"Continental Tires has been an exclusive partner of the AFC and Asian football since 2015. We are grateful for their continued dedication to the AFC's national team competitions and are delighted to welcome Continental as the first global partner for the upcoming cycle as we move into a new era of Asian football."

The extended global sponsorship deal encompasses major AFC national team competitions,including but not limited to the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar featuring the Continent's top 12 football nations,and Asia's flagship national team competition – the AFC Asian Cup – which is set to take place in China PR in June 2023.

Japan vs Qatar during their AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Final match at Zayed Sports City stadium on 01 February 2019,in Abu Dhabi,UAE. Photo by Stringer / Lagardere Sports

The year 2021 marks Continental's 150th Anniversary Celebration. As part of its year-long "150 Years of Confidence" campaign,Continental Tires and the AFC will jointly launch an exclusive digital campaign in early 2021,featuring a series of high-impact content and activities to celebrate their renewed partnership.

Continental Tires will also exclusively host a Trophy Appearance Programme during the AFC Asian Cup China 2023,in which Asia's best national teams will compete for the ultimate glory in state-of-the-art venues across 10 major cities in China PR.

Ferdinand Hoyos,Executive Vice President of the Replacement Tires Business in APAC for Continental,remarked,"Our partnership with the AFC has placed Continental right alongside all fans supporting their national teams in Asia. Football as a sport is making great strides in many of the Asian countries,and we are thrilled to be part of the future of this growing sport here in the region. Though the COVID-19 pandemic requires that we take additional precautions to stay vigilant,Continental Tires stands behind sports - with the health and safety of players and fans as the top priority. We look forward into 2021 to celebrate plenty of team victories and Continental Tires' 150th Year Anniversary."

This partnership deal was secured and will be managed by Football Marketing Asia (FMA) – a Super Sports Company,the exclusive commercial partner for AFC competitions 2021-2024 and 2025-2028. The partnership includes rights to a comprehensive set of tailored digital promotional content and innovative advertising formats. In addition,Continental Tires will be entitled to various exclusive activation opportunities to engage with Asia's 1.8 billion national team football fans.

Patrick Murphy,Board Member and CEO at FMA – a Super Sports Company,commented,"Continental Tires and Football Marketing Asia share huge ambitions,extensive experience and strong commitment with regards to the continued growth of Asia's number one sport,in particular one of our most strategic markets of China. We are looking forward to sharing our mutual expertise in activating partnerships both at a consumer and B2B level through the cycle,culminating in the Asian Cup 2023."

Continental Corporation

Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable andconnected mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871,the technology company offers safe,efficient,intelligent and affordable solutions for vehicles,machines,traffic and transport. In 2019,Continental generated sales of €44.5 billion and currently employs more than 232,000 people in 59 countries and markets.

The Tires business area has 24 production and development locations worldwide. Continental is one of the leading tire manufacturers with more than 56,000 employees and posted sales of €11.7 billion in 2019 in this business area. Continental ranks among the technology leaders in tire production and offers a broad product range for passenger cars,commercial and special vehicles,as well as two-wheelers. Through continuous investment in research & development,Continental makes a major contribution to safe,cost-effective and ecologically efficient mobility. The portfolio of the Tires business area includes services for the tire trade and fleet applications,as well as digital management systems for tires.

New Press Portal for Continental

From now on,the established www.continental-press.com URL will lead to the new Continental press portal. Press releases,pictures and videos from the Continental Media Center and access to Continental's social media profiles are here at a glance. Intelligent search,functional print layouts for downloads and the folder function for later personal and individual downloads are among the new functionalities. Furthermore,the new press portal is easy to use on mobile devices. Just click and try it out: www.continental-press.com