Tag: UCL

It was a befitting conclusion to a hugely successful UEFA Champions League season, with simultaneous viewing parties across two continents.

As Juventus and Barcelona FC traded tackles in the final match in Berlin, Heineken House Lagos treated fans and special guests to a night of exquisite football, refreshments and live entertainment anchored by top artiste, Wande Coal.

At the same time, 20 Nigerian lucky trip winners were on an exotic Spanish island, enjoying the third annual edition of the ultimate football party experience: the Heineken Ibiza Final.

The scintillating UCL final match saw Barcelona lift the world’s most coveted club football trophy for the fourth time in nine years, and marked another remarkable chapter in Heineken’s ninth consecutive year of sponsoring the tournament.

At Heineken House Lagos, fans followed the game excitedly on multiple television screens while also interacting live, on Heineken’s #ChampionTheMatchTwitter feed, with Real Madrid legend, Roberto Carlos.

The multiple UCL winners arrived in style by boat at Heineken Bay, the magnificent beachfront venue of the Heineken Ibiza Final event. The cove was elegantly decorated, and guests watched the match under open skies, on a giant LED screen anchored in the lake, with a dreamy Spanish sunset as the perfect backdrop. Pre- and post-match entertainment included colourful aerial stunt performers suspended several metres in the sky, while their earthbound counterparts performed eye-popping dance moves on the ground below.

Both in Lagos and Ibiza, the final whistle was heralded with spectacular firework displays and partying into the night. But for the Ibiza guests, the entertainment was simply a taste of things to come. The following morning, they boarded six large catamarans and headed deep into the Spanish coastal waters. On each boat was a designated DJ playing a mix of soothing rhythms and uplifting dance music, as well as two masseurs, aptly named Ibiza Angels, that gave each guest a relaxing massage. For a couple of hours, the boats sailed different routes across the waters, while the guests relaxed and enjoyed refreshments on board. But a huge surprise was in store when the six vessels moored together mid-waters, and surrounded a floating stack of four 20-foot Heineken branded shipping containers.

The upper set of containers suddenly exploded open in a blast of lights and smoke, revealing a DJ set and enormous loudspeakers that started pumping waves of dance music across the previously tranquil Ibiza bay. And so began an all-day party that featured New York-based house music legend, Barbara Tucker, and continued into the night, back on shore at the top notch Blue Marlin club.

On Monday, as other Heineken guests boarded flights back to their various bases around the world, the Nigerian contingent of lucky winners stayed on in Ibiza to enjoy a further day of sightseeing, shopping and fine dining. When they eventually returned home the following day, they had all experienced first-hand the legendary Heineken quality, and understood why it is the world’s most international premium lager beer.

In recognition of Nigeria as one of the top global hotspots of football followership, Heineken’s worldwide interactive series berthed in Lagos last week. Heineken House Lagos was selected as one of only nine exotic locations around the world to host the #ChampionTheMatch series, where a football legend interacts with a global audience in a live Twitter session.

On a night when the cream of European clubs vied for UEFA Champions League semi-final places, it was most befitting that Heineken House guests enjoyed the company of Chelsea and Real Madrid legend, GeremiNjitap, who had himself made 37 appearances in the world’s greatest club football tournament, and twice lifted the trophy. “Frankly, I am excited”, he enthused.“Being here, with Nigerian football fans brings me lots of emotion. I realize now that I’ve been in a great profession.”

With world class décor, premium entertainment and rousing atmosphere, Heineken House Lagos is firmly established as the most desirable place to enjoy UCL match nights. Like other celebrities and football legends that had experienced it before him, Geremi was suitably impressed. “I’m very surprised. When I got here, I wasn’t expecting to see all this,” he expressed.

The former Real Madrid star championed the match with Nigerian ace comedian AY who also used his social media channels to boost the conversation on the match night.

Ace comedian, Senator, provided the half-time entertainment as Barcelona took on and beat Paris St Germain. But in Geremi’s opinion, the trophy will ultimately be heading elsewhere. “There are very big clubs left in the tournament at this stage… the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich. But I’m a big fan of Real Madrid, and I’m tipping them to lift the trophy.” Indeed, Geremi is much more than a just fan of Real Madrid. As a right winger, Geremi scored a Champions League quarter-final goal for them against Bayern Munich back in April 2002.

For the guests, Geremi’s presence heightened the whole experience. “Tonight, we have a former Chelsea legend, Geremi, in the house. You don’t get to see world class legends everyday, this is fantastic,” said January Ozeraga, a banker. “Kudos to Heineken. I’ve never seen any other company put in so much resource into creating such a fantastic viewing experience for us the consumers. I have lots of pictures, and souvenirs of this experience.”

Other guests shared his sentiments.

Tony Nwigwe said, “This place is so cool! The ambience, the environment makes you feel settled and relaxed. The hustle and bustle of Lagos is so much, and you don’t want to go a place where you’ll be sweating or robbed. You come in here to watch the match, and see a lot of beautiful people, both men and women. And of course, a bottle of Heineken to cool down the stress, whether your club is winning or losing.”

As it turned out, Paris St Germain lost to Barcelona on the night. But the clearest winners were Heineken and their ever-growing band of luxuriously pampered consumers.