South African soccer fans attending the 2010 World Cup will not be able to crack open a Castle at the stadium - instead they will have to make do with American beer, Budweiser.
Jérome Valcke, the CEO of Fifa Marketing and TV, told a 2010 seminar on Wednesday that SAB-Miller had refused to negotiate with the football controlling body about what beer brand would be sold at stadiums.
Valcke told delegates attending the KPMG, aloeCap and Business Report's 2010 seminar that SAB-Miller did not even respond to their request for a meeting.
"People may think it is crazy that we have not signed with a local (beer) company. But the fact is, SAB-Miller did not even reply to our request for a meeting. We did not even get a chance to make a presentation. We waited for three months for them to respond, and they did not, so we signed with Budweiser," he said.
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| 'This World Cup belongs to Fifa and is only being hosted in South Africa' |
Delegates attending the seminar heard that not all businesses would benefit from the World Cup because of Fifa's stringent ambush-marketing's rules.
Fifa has six official partners, which provide everything to spectators from soft drinks to food and beer.
Ideally Fifa would prefer fans to wear Adidas, drink Coke and/or Budweiser, and eat McDonald's when they are at the stadiums.
"What we need to realise is that this World Cup belongs to Fifa and is only being hosted in South Africa," said Chris Patricios, manager of KPMG Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism.
Even spectators will not be able to wear clothing or even eat products that are not from the official Fifa partners.
Valcke was in South Africa to negotiate television sponsorships with the SABC and SuperSport.
- This article was originally published on page 1 of The Star on February 23, 2006
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