Heineken signs for 3 more years

Heineken, Europe's biggest brewer, yesterday extended its sponsorship of the Uefa Champions League for a further three years in a move that analysts said could be worth €20 million (£17m).

The announcement came on the eve of this season's final between Barcelona and Manchester United, which takes place this evening at Wembley.

Alexis Nasard, Heineken's chief commercial officer, said the new deal gives the brewing giant - owner of Scottish & Newcastle - wider digital rights and broadens its broadcast rights to cover Germany. However, he declined to give any financial details regarding the sponsorship.

The contract will run up to the end of the 2014-15 season, extending the Dutch group's link with the tournament to more than 20 years.

It is the sixth season the Heineken brand has sponsored the competition, which is watched by more than four billion TV viewers over a season, but the company's tournament links go back to 1994. Nasard said the Uefa Champions League had "unrivalled international reach".

David Taylor, joint general-secretary of Uefa, said revenue from the sponsorship would be fed back into the development of "grassroots" football.