David Henry, second left, general manager for corporate marketing at Samsung Asia, and Seamus O’Brien, left, president and CEO of the World Sport Group, and others are all smiles after yesterday’s signing of the AFC Asian Cup sponsorship deal.

Co-hosted by Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, the region's biggest football tournament will be held from July 7-29 and feature the league's 16 leading national teams: Australia, Iraq, Oman, Japan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, China, Iran, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Indonesia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Thailand.

Thai Samsung Electronics managing director Park Kwang-kee said Samsung expected the Asian Cup to reach an audience of 4 million to 5 million people in Thailand.

David Henry, general manager for corporate marketing at Samsung Asia, said the sponsorship would help confirm Samsung's commitment to the sports market.

He said sport could be an effective medium for reaching end-users, communicating such good values as passion and teamwork.

"Sport is a language spoken all across the globe. Men and women of different ages are linked by an almost universal enthusiasm for sports. To see the power of sport, we need to look no further than the fever created by last year's Fifa World Cup in Germany or the excitement that has been generated for the upcoming Olympic Games to be held in Beijing next year, for which Samsung is also a sponsor," said Henry.

He said major sporting events captured the imagination of the world. Samsung believed in sport's ability to unify people and encourage them to challenge themselves while promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Samsung has sponsored and supported a broad range of sporting events for almost 20 years.

The company hopes the experience of competing against the league's best on their home turf will inspire regional footballers to strive for greater heights and aim at joining Asia's elite.

"Contributing to developing sport in the region is our way of giving back to local communities and demonstrates Samsung's commitment to responsible corporate citizenship," said Henry.

He added that Samsung would join football fans in the region in cheering on the host nations at the tournament. By experiencing the thrills and spills together with football fans in Southeast Asia, who are among the most passionate in the world, the company hopes to bond and connect emotionally with them.

Seamus O'Brien, president and CEO of the World Sport Group, the AFC's exclusive marketing arm and which was responsible for negotiating the deal, said Samsung's involvement in the Asian Cup reaffirmed the company's support of Asian football.

"We are confident that with Samsung's support, the AFC Asian Cup will continue to grow stronger," said O'Brien.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn, The Nation