Nigeria Content Online

In two days time, quarter-final matches of the UEFA Champions League will take place in stadia across Europe.

Excitement is building up in the run up to the games, which will see the remaining eight clubs jostling for places in the last four.

With two English clubs, Manchester United and Chelsea billed to clash on Wednesday at the Stamford Bridge, football fans in Nigeria are bracing themselves up for a delicious fare to be served by two of England’s leading football clubs.

Other matches in the quarter-final fixtures include the encounter between nine-time champions, Real Madrid and flamboyant English side, Tottenham Hotspurs, the clash between defending champions, Inter Milan of Italy and Schalke 04 of Germany and the much anticipated match between Barcelona FC and the irreverent Shakhtar FC of Ukraine, which put highly rated Roma of Italy to the sword in the round of 16.

Viewing centres across Lagos are bracing up for the expected surge of customers. One venue where excitement is expected to reach feverish pitch is the Heineken Planet House located on Victoria Island in Lagos.

The Planet House resumed in February for the first knockout round of the UEFA Champions League, and presented an opportunity for some lucky fans and consumers of the Heineken brand from various cities across the country to be united with other invited guests to witness sublime football.

The guests, who cut across business leaders and loyal consumers who secured invitation from a multi-city recruitment from in-bar locations in six major cities outside Lagos namely: Abuja, Benin, Enugu, Ibadan, Kaduna and Port Harcourt clearly relished the experience.

One such fan was Ihieaka Ikechukwu, an ardent follower of both local and international football. Aside his passion for the round leather game, his leisure period is mostly spent with friends after a busy day’s schedule at pubs where he relaxes with friends to unwind.

It was one of such days late in January in the coal city of Enugu that he had an encounter with the Heineken Champions Planet activation team at the bar location. While other lucky consumers were rewarded with branded souvenirs on that night, Ikechukwu was luckier because, the lucky dip draw earned him the right to watch the UEFA Champions League second round knock out matches at the prestigious Heineken Champions Planet with all an expense paid trip to Lagos on match days.

The real deal

At first, the young man could not see any big deal in this because he and his friends have always watched matches at various viewing centres in the city where they share their passion for their various clubs. However, since the trip to Lagos was not going to cost him anything, he opted for the adventure.

“Initially, I thought the whole thing was a farce because I would have loved to win one of their very attractive souvenirs instead of coming to Lagos to watch football matches that I could have watched at home or with friends at numerous viewing centres located around my area.

“I was reluctant but with both flight and accommodation expense already booked, I opted to have the ‘Planetary’ experience I had read in the papers and watched on television over the years,” he said.

For Ikechukwu and some others from other locations who left their hotel rooms for the Heineken Champions Planet to savour Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over mighty FC Barcelona at the Emirates stadium in February, they have been given an opportunity to feature in the draw for the five lucky consumers that will be selected to watch the final match of the competition live at the Wembley Stadium in London on May 29 this year.

The Heineken Champions Planet is in its fifth season and for the first time last September, ventured into the group stages matches with the aim of creating more exciting viewing experience where football lovers can enjoy all the matches.

The Heineken brand in Nigeria has for the past five years given Nigerian football fans an opportunity to watch and experience the UEFA Champions league in a premium viewing experience.

This is the first time since it began four seasons ago that the Heineken Champions Planet is going into full scale nationwide invitation of consumers in some major cities across the country.