Those of you tuning in to watch the Liverpool-Chelsea Premier League match today may have noticed something unusual about the famous red Liverpool Home Shirt.
The club will be sporting sponsor Carlsberg on their shirts
for the final time at Anfield - but the name will be displayed in Chinese
language for the clash with Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.
In addition to the change on the front of the players' shirts, Chinese messages will be displayed during the match on the perimeter advertising boardings and in the Carlsberg Lounge at Anfield and a Chinese competition winner will present a trophy to the "Man of the Match" after the final whistle. The move also ties in with the brewer's role as partner of the Danish Pavilion at the World Expo 2010 event in Shanghai.
Liverpool, which has been twinned with Shanghai since 1999, is the only UK city to be exhibiting at World Expo 2010. The event in Shanghai takes place on the same day as the match between Liverpool and Chelsea - expected to attract over 750m
viewers around the world.
Speaking to the club's official website, Carlsberg Group Sponsorship Director Keld Strudahl said:
"We're
delighted to have been able to bring about this momentous occasion. We
believe it's a nice little gesture to our friends and fans of Liverpool
FC in China, where we know the Club devoted huge support in working
things out"
The messages will read 'Carlsberg is partner of Danish Pavilion in World Expo - Carlsberg & Liverpool Cheer for World Expo'.
The Chinese Carlsberg logo will be the fifth logo ever printed on a Liverpool FC shirt. Liverpool's first sponsor was Hitachi, followed by Crown Paints, Candy and then Carlsberg in 1992. From 2010/11 Standard Chartered will take over the reigns as the main corporate sponsor, marking them as logo number six. You can see the new Liverpool FC Home Shirt here along with the new sponsor.