Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Award-winning Qatar Airways has teamed up with Manchester United for the Middle East launch of the ultimate collection of memorabilia celebrating the history of the world’s most famous football club.
The Manchester United Opus is a grand 800-page limited edition book charting the fortunes of the English Premiership club with features and never-before seen images commissioned from some of the world’s top sports photographers and writers.
Weighing a mammoth 35 kg, the book promises to be a dream for fans and investors alike. A star-studded charity gala dinner, sponsored by Qatar Airways, will be held at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai on November 29 where the very first Manchester United Opus Book will be launched and auctioned off.
The gala dinner will be attended by celebrities, including Manchester United legends Sir Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and Eric Cantona, together with Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, model Caprice, former England soccer manager Sven Goran Erikkson and Indian Test cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.
The first Opus will be signed by a Who’s Who from Manchester United, including every member of the current first team squad. This extraordinary piece will be auctioned in aid of UNICEF with an estimated reserve price of £250,000 (US$475,000).
In total, 10,000 copies will be printed with part of the proceeds going towards charity.
At a press conference in Dubai, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, the most successful manager in English soccer history, was joined by Qatar Airways Senior Manager Commercial Operations Arabian Peninsula, Ali Al Rais, to announce the tie-up.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said he was delighted that the airline had teamed up with Manchester United for the launch.
“Manchester United is a world-renowned football club, steeped in tremendous history, and Qatar Airways is extremely proud to be associated with the club for the official launch of this exceptional book,” he said.
“Qatar Airways looks forward to welcoming players and officials on our flights and experience our award-winning service from the UK to Dubai through Doha for what promises to be an exciting and memorable gala dinner in November.”
The Manchester United Opus recounts the entire history of the club, featuring exclusive ground-breaking editorial, including interviews with Sir Bobby Charlton, Eric Cantona, Sir Alex Ferguson and current star players Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs.
It contains more than 400,000 words and 2,000 photographs, researched from over two million images.
Over a three-day celebration of the Manchester United Opus in November, VIPs from the sports and entertainment industry will gather in Dubai to take part in a series of activities, including a golf tournament, celebrity chef event with Gary Rhodes, cocktail parties and a variety of charity-based activities, culminating in the Qatar Airways-sponsored gala dinner.
Qatar Airways operates a fleet of 48 aircraft to 70 online destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Far East and Indian subcontinent from Doha, its hub and capital of the State of Qatar. Together with codeshare partners, Qatar Airways serves more than 90 cities worldwide.
Qatar Airways is one of only four airlines in the world with a Five Star ranking for service excellence awarded by Skytrax, the independent aviation industry monitoring agency.
Skytrax also named Qatar Airways’ cabin crew best in the Middle East for the fourth year running in 2006 and second best in the world, while the airline’s global rankings rose to an admirable fifth best. Qatar Airways plans to more than double its fleet size to 110 aircraft by 2015.
About Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar, is proud to be Going Places Together with travellers across its more than 150 business and leisure destinations.
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways has been awarded World’s Best Airline, World's Best Business Class; Best Business Class Airline Lounge and Best Airline Staff Service in the Middle East by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax.
Qatar Airways was the first Gulf carrier to join global airline alliance, oneworld, enabling its passengers to benefit from more than 1,000 airports in more than 150 countries.
Oryx One, Qatar Airways’ in-flight entertainment system offers passengers up to 3,000 entertainment options from the latest blockbuster movies, TV box sets, music, games and much more. Passengers flying on Qatar Airways flights served by its B787, A350, A380, A319 and select A320 and A330 aircraft can also stay in touch with their friends and family around the world by using the award-winning airline’s on-board Wi-Fi and GSM service.
Qatar Airways proudly supports a range of exciting international and local initiatives dedicated to enriching the global community that it serves. Qatar Airways sponsors world-leading sports teams including FC Barcelona and Al-Ahli Saudi Arabia FC reflecting the values of sports as a means of bringing people together, something at the core of the airline’s own brand message – Going Places Together.
Qatar Airways Cargo, the world’s third largest international cargo carrier, serves more than 50 exclusive freighter destinations worldwide via its Doha hub and also delivers freight to more than 150 key business and leisure destinations globally