World soccer stars to play at Audi Cup in Munich

Boca Juniors versus Manchester United and FC Bayern versus AC Milan will be the pairings at Munich’s Allianz Arena on July 29, which kick off the worldclass two-day soccer spectacle. “AUDI AG’s commitment in soccer has a long and successful tradition. Together with the sport’s many fans we look forward to a thrilling tournament featuring big names and played at the highest sporting level,” said Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board for Marketing and Sales of AUDI AG.

In the presence of players from the tournament teams, Audi factory driver Tom Kristensen, eight-time Le Mans winner and declared soccer fan, drew the lots for the pairings of the matches staged on the first day. The winners of the two games on Wednesday will play for tournament victory on Thursday and the cup, which has been specifically created by Audi’s design department. Prior to the finale, the losing teams will play for third place.

“We are proud about having been able to attract these four top teams to Munich for the Audi Cup. The tournament will be a sporting highlight of the celebrations held on the occasion of the Audi brand’s 100th anniversary,” said Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Executive Board of AUDI AG.

The caliber of the attendees at today’s drawing also reflects the enthusiasm and excitement about the tournament’s premiere: from Argentina, Carlos Bianchi, who works as the managing director of the Boca Juniors, traveled to Geneva. The club is still emotional home to super star Diego Maradona, who finished his career as a player with the Boca Juniors. “It is both an honor and a big challenge for our team to be able to compete against these European topclass teams,” said Bianchi, a two-time World Cup winner and five-time top goal scorer of the French league.

As representatives of the other teams, Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Wes Brown (Manchester United) as well as Willy Sagnol from FC Bayern München were on hand at the Audi stand of the Geneva Motor Show, which will be officially opened day after tomorrow.

The caliber of participants in the Audi Cup could hardly be topped: German record champion FC Bayern arguably enjoys a home advantage at the Allianz Arena. The guests counter with an impressive line-up of stars: AC Milan, 17-time Italian champion and seven-time winner of the Champions League, will come to Munich with Kaká, Filippo Inzaghi and Ronaldinho, among others.

The team of Manchester United, 17-time English champion and three-time winner of the Champions League, includes such names as Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo or Carlos Tévez. While the clubs may be big rivals, they have something in common as well: as their vehicle partner, Audi provides models from Ingolstadt to the players and officials, and presents itself with the four rings at the sports arenas.

Advance ticket sales for the Audi Cup will start on March 4. Tickets will be available at all participating Audi Partners and on www.fcbayern.de

Credits: JRC