PITCH FEVER
Some sporting moments in history live on forever – and Swiss watchmaker HUBLOT knows how to create these moments!
on march 21, with 85 days to go before the first match of the 2018 FIFA World CUPTM kicks off, Hublot brought together friends of the brand to celebrate the beautiful game of football in a “Match of Friendship” during Baselworld 2018. Then, with just 60 days before the big event, Hublot joined hands with its UAE partner Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons to bring together friends of the brand and regional football players for a return game after the tie score at Basel.
True to its motto “First, Unique, Different”, Hublot invited brand ambassador Pelé to coach his first football team in Dubai, for this game held at the Dubai Opera Hanging Garden. Friend of the Brand, Marcello Lippi, managed the opposing team. The match time was kept by the newly launched Big Bang Referee 2018 FIFA World Cup Russiatm smart watch.
After the gardens of the Palais Royal in Paris and Hall 4 at Baselworld, the soccer action took place at the feet of the world’s tallest building – Burj Khalifa – and overlooking the world’s biggest fountain, The Dubai Mall Fountain.
“We are happy to kick off here in Dubai, the countdown to this summer’s tournament. We share with Hublot and our customers a passion for both watches and football, and this is a great way to unite those two worlds,” says Mohammed Abdulmagied Seddiqi, CEO of Seddiqi Holding.
“People in the region, just as all over the world, love football. It is a sport that brings everyone together. We try to apply Hublot’s Art of Fusion motto in everything we do, and we have succeeded in doing so with the Match of Friendship in Dubai, where we teamed up football legends who had never competed against each other in that formation. We are as thrilled as our customers to have lived this unique experience which was infused with FIFA World Cup fever,” said David Tedeschi, regional director of Hublot (Middle East & Africa).
Everything was in place, from the fourth official’s panel to the recently unveiled Big Bang Referee 2018 FIFA World Cup Russiatm watch that gave a live demonstration of its functions. Hublot’s smart technology gave the referee notifications from Goal Line Technology live throughout this Match of Friendship, just as it will during the 2018 FIFA World CUPTM.
According to protocol, the two teams exchanged pennants at the start of the game. Going beyond pure ritual, this was a symbol of a friendly game held under the banner of friendship. At half-time, a freestyle football demonstration confirmed that anything can be done with a football.
At the end of the game, the spirit and contagious energy of football were kept alive at a stadium-feverinspired cocktail reception at the same iconic location, where guests mingled with the players and met some of their favourite football figures. The unforgettable evening was followed by a private dinner at Sean Connolly, with the Hublot and Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons teams, the players and friends.
hublot.com