Football can produce emotions and feelings across borders and cultures like no other sport. More importantly, however, the beautiful game brings together people from all walks of life. For it to continue to thrive, develop and professionalise on the global stage, a network of strong and reliable partners that work together on the basis of shared missions and values is paramount. In this issue of the Professional Football Journal, we feature Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar, which became a FIFA Partner and the organisation’s Official Airline in May 2017. Following the agreement, an innovative partnership ensued, which has seen the global airline support all FIFA competitions, including the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™, the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™, the 2019 and 2020 editions of the FIFA Club World Cup™, and, of course, the highly anticipated FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021™ and FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. We spoke with the multiple award-winning airline’s Chief Commercial Officer, Thierry Antinori, to learn more about how Qatar Airways supports a wide range of exciting international and local initiatives, including through a vast portfolio of football sponsorship deals, and what role the sport plays in its strategic efforts to enrich the global community that it serves.

Considering Qatar Airways’ brand message of “Going Places Together”, one could say that FIFA, as the world governing body, and Qatar Airways, as a leading global airline, share not only a common mission, but also the mutual values of sport. What is the airline’s relationship with football and what importance does it have within the organisation?  

Qatar and the Arab world are football-obsessed!

Ever since I first set foot in this region, I have observed that football is a great equaliser across all walks of life. If you take a stroll in Doha’s neighbourhoods, people are always playing together. On the weekends, large groups gather to watch big league matches at cafes and pitches are full of children playing football out in the open.

Football is the most popular sport in the world and brings people together, while sport, in general, is an important pillar of Qatari culture. This aspect hits very close to home with our message of “Going Places Together”.

It is not enough for us to be a world-class airline; we want to be a company that delivers excitement and plays a role in bringing the global game to the world.

Just like football’s global reach and popularity, Qatar Airways’ operations cover all corners of the world, something that is not only reflected by servicing more than 1,000 airports across more than 160 countries, but also through the airline’s extensive portfolio of sports and, in particular, football sponsorship deals. What is the strategy behind these partnerships and how do you evaluate which organisations – in this case within football – are a good fit for the company?  

We take great pride in our sponsorship portfolio, and our football partnerships in particular.

Each one carries its own unique identity, a way for us to connect with more people and be a keen supporter of the football world.

We look for potential partners that match our passion and have the same commitment to their fans as we have to our passengers.

That is why we have alliances with clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, who have a reputation for style and sophistication on and off the pitch. Paris also has a rich street football culture even in its deepest suburbs.

Or take, for example, our partnership with Boca Juniors with the iconic La Bombonera stadium, which is home to an electrifying atmosphere. The local fans share a common devotion to the club that is well recognised around the world.

If you look at FC Bayern Munich, they set high standards through their winning culture, which reflects our values in the pursuit of excellence.

We pay close attention to clubs with a dedicated fan base and strong fan culture.

As a FIFA Partner, Qatar Airways can look ahead with FIFA to truly exciting and historic times on the horizon, with the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 a prelude to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which sees the world’s biggest sporting event coming to the Middle East for the first time. What objectives has Qatar Airways set itself both from a logistical and a brand engagement perspective in relation to the road map for both events? 

We are beyond excited for the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 and the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. It will be the first time that these enormous tournaments will be played on Arab soil. From a logistical standpoint, as the home airline, we will be prepared to provide seamless connectivity for travelling fans from all the represented nations. At the moment, we are already operating again in over 140 destinations worldwide and intend to gradually further expand our network.

Our award-winning hub, Hamad International Airport, voted the Best Airport in the Middle East for the last five years, is undergoing expansion as we look forward to featuring a spectacular 10,000m2 tropical garden, a central concourse, and over 11,000m2 of retail and F&B space. These expansion plans will increase our airport capacity to more than 53 million passengers by 2022.

Our digital outreach aims to capture the imagination of people who choose to fly with us and build an emotional connection with the audience as they interact with our brand.

We always try to highlight our warm Qatari hospitality and our dedication to creating a luxurious travel experience.

It is widely accepted that football is nothing without supporters. Understandably, fan engagement is therefore a key feature of sports organisations’ communications efforts, which have been on display particularly during and as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. You have produced powerful content around the absence and return of fans to stadiums of late with the #QRFanthem campaign. What will your consumer engagement strategy look like in the post-COVID-19 era, a time when friends and families all over the world long to reconnect with each other and also want to travel to once again see their favourite football and sports teams in action, specifically in the lead-up to and during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022?

The post-COVID-19 world would be the perfect opportunity to restore the magic of flying. In the build-up to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, we want our content to combine our passion for aviation and football, tailored towards a global audience.

We consistently feature football superstars and world-class teams, and that helps build brand recognition amongst our passengers. Whether it be our in-flight safety videos or commercials for our latest partnerships, we have repeatedly aimed to deliver captivating campaigns.

Speaking of engaging the world’s football fans in the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, we know that Qatar Airways has always been open to embracing innovation and new technologies, and creating unique experiences for fans to enjoy the game in the digital space, and specifically on social media. What can football lovers around the globe look forward to from the airline in this regard?

Well, innovation is something Qatar Airways has always embraced, even during the pandemic. Fans can rest assured that when they fly with us, safety and comfort are aspects that we never compromise on. We recently introduced our new Business Class Suite on the new-generation Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. We were the first airline to introduce COVID-19 vaccine authentication in collaboration with the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

We were also the first global airline to offer passengers 100% touch-free in-flight entertainment technology, minimising the risk of COVID-19.

Our extensive network is something we take great pride in, and that enables us to connect fans across the world. We want to continue pairing innovation and world-class service to offer the best possible experience to our passengers.

It is also important to see our logo displayed on LED boards and jerseys, as it creates an association with the game that elevates our brand presence. It helps us be recognised on the world stage, even though our reputation precedes us.

Aside from its intrinsic and essential relationship with fans, the game of football is also very much built on the values of respect and solidarity, especially in relation to CSR activities. What is Qatar Airways’ involvement in social and community projects and how does football play a role in these?   

Our continual efforts to protect the planet for future generations and serve the communities that we are linked with are something we take great pride in. In the current landscape, our Airbus A380 fleet has been deemed environmentally and operationally unfeasible, which is why we have chosen to park all our superjumbos.

From an operational standpoint, Qatar Airways has a strong waste management and energy optimisation programme through our modern, fuel-efficient fleet of aircraft. We are also committed to our strategy of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, a pledge we undertook as part of the oneworld alliance.

We remain highly supportive to our community through initiatives such as the Educate A Child programme, championing medical causes around the world with Orbis UK and playing an active role in leaving a lasting social legacy after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, through Qatar’s Generation Amazing programme.

In your role as Qatar Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, you naturally maintain an unbiased position as far as any personal allegiances are concerned across the football landscape. Nevertheless, what is your all-time and most recent favourite football moment?  

I think my best football moments will forever remain all the games we played with my friends after school on the street or at urban playgrounds in my hometown of Metz, France as a young teenager. We were just passionate and each game was our World Cup. We were counting down the hours during lessons every day, and ran off to play after the school bell freed us! 

But, of course, I also have some favourite moments as a spectator in the stands. As a French national, I had the chance to be at the Stade de France as my country won the 1998 FIFA World Cup final 3-0. It was a crazy atmosphere. Another great France v. Brazil game that I loved attending was the 2006 FIFA World Cup quarter-final in Frankfurt, which was a very intense and tight match. I am definitely ready for more in Qatar at the FIFA World Cup 2022.