Shanghai International Football Tournament (“SIFT”) was first played in 1991. The municipal government of Shanghai created this tournament as an annual football event. For the next eight year, footballers worldwide fight the games and SIFT evolved as a landmark Summer Program of Shanghai until it hit a four-year pause in 2001, it was sponsored by various partners including Marlboro, Guanshenyuan, Fushoutong, Huili and Budweiser.
USSM is a leading sports marketing company with specific expertise within China where they organize local and international football events and, in 2005, successfully revived the tradition of the annual Shanghai International Football Tournament which included three Spanish La Liga teams including Villarreal, Sevilla, Real Zaragoza to fight Shanghai United, a “Dream Team” formed from public voting by fans.
Shanghai International Football Tournament 2006 offered the exciting prospect of three world-renowned club sides - Manchester, Atletico Madrid and Kashima Antlers - competing against China Super League club, Shanghai Shenhua FC, providing a festival of football in the prestigious Shanghai Hong Kou Stadium. The TV broadcast of the 2006 event covered 115 countries around the world, offering a potential audience reaching of hundreds of millions.
The tournament usually sees two double-header evenings featuring all four clubs and is known as a most prestige and traditions summer football tournament in Asia.
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Famous quotes containing the words shanghai and/or football:
“It took more than one man to change my name to Shanghai Lily.”
—Jules Furthman (1888–1960)
“In this dream that dogs me I am part
Of a silent crowd walking under a wall,
Leaving a football match, perhaps, or a pit,
All moving the same way.”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)