Dentsu scoops football rights in Vietnam

World Sport Group (WSG) is the exclusive marketing arm of the AFC.

Under the multi-year deal, Dentsu and its local subsidiary Dentsu Alpha will market and distribute coverage of the FIFA Club World Cup, key AFC events including the AFC Asian Cup 2011 and AFC Cup, as well as a magazine show Football Asia and J-League highlights programme in Vietnam.

The companies are also charged with appointing the official broadcaster for the upcoming ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championships, which was formerly known as the AFF Suzuki Cup, to be held in Vietnam next year.

Ian Mathie, SVP, football, for ASEAN and Australia at World Sport Group, said: “Both the AFF Championships and AFC Asian Cup have a proven track record for delivering huge TV ratings in the Vietnam market. With Dentsu and Dentsu Alpha as our new partners we believe we can grow the coverage of Asian football even further.”

Yuji Yamaguchi, executive officer at Dentsu Alpha, added: “Football in Asia is now attracting a great deal of attention all over the world. In Vietnam especially, the national passion for football is among the strongest in the region.”

Caltex had announced that it was sponsoring the AFF Suzuki Cup football tournament in September last year.