npower to sponsor Leicester v Real friendly
Leicester City and Real Madrid will go head-to-head in the npower Challenge Cup this month, after the UK-based energy provider was unveiled as Title Sponsor for the Foxes’ prestigious pre-season fixture.
City host the nine-time European champions in a landmark friendly on Saturday July 30, with Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side taking on Jose Mourinho’s star-studded squad from the Spanish capital.
And with the Foxes set to fly the flag for the npower Football League against some of the biggest stars in the world game, the League’s title sponsors have thrown their support behind the occasion.
npower’s support will see the winners of the match lift the npower Challenge Cup. In the event of the scores being level after 90 minutes, a winner will be determined by a penalty shootout.
Emma Collins, sponsorship manager of npower, said: "There is always a lively debate about whether the Premier League or La Liga is the best football league in the world, but now Leicester City has the opportunity to showcase, both with their ability on the pitch and their supporters’ passion in the stands, that the npower Championship can rival the best leagues in the world.
“Obviously we are delighted to sponsor this occasion and hope that Jose Mourinho’s boys understand that we will be backing the Foxes on the day.
“It is often said that in the npower Championship that ‘anybody can beat anybody’ and we hope Leicester City can use this mentality to match the Madrid giants and maybe cause an upset.”
The game will be Real Madrid's only fixture in the UK this summer and will give football fans from Leicestershire, the East Midlands and beyond the chance to see the likes of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, Brazilian magician Kaka and World Cup winners Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso in action.
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Tom Grindel, Partnerships Manager for Leicester City, said: “Everybody in football is talking about City versus Real Madrid right now, so we are delighted to have a partner such as npower that is strongly established in the game.
“July 30 will not only be a fantastic occasion for Leicester City and our supporters, but for football fans all over the country who have a chance to see some of the world’s best players in live action.”
Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.
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