A hangover cure: the first Swiss company to get involved in Saudi football

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Ezgjan Alioski (31), the first and so far only footballer from Switzerland, landed in Saudi Arabia two and a half years ago. Now the first Swiss company is getting involved in Saudi football. But not in the hyped men’s league with Cristiano Ronaldo and Co.

The trousers of the women’s team of Al-Shabab FC feature the logo of the Zurich company Kaex. Kaex? The startup’s product was actually developed as a miracle cure for a hangover after nights of drinking, but subsequently also became popular in sports as a regeneration aid. In addition to countless individual athletes, the Zurich company now also supplies teams such as FCZ, Union Berlin, Leverkusen, Ambri-Piotta, the Tudor cycling team and Alfa-Sauber.

News of the Swiss product spread as far as Riyadh

Now there is also a Saudi deal. Company founder Pedro Schmidt told Blick: “The princess came to us.” Princess Reem Abdullah Al Saud is the CEO of the women’s football division of the Saudi Football Association and the daughter of the owner of the United World Group, which owns several clubs in Europe, such as Sheffield United.

But how does a Saudi princess find out about a Swiss regeneration potion? Schmidt describes: “We are now very internationally positioned in the professional sector. For example, PSG is also a paying customer of ours and our product was also used at the World Cup in Qatar.”

First of all, questions about the Saudi image

At first, the people at Kaex are skeptical. Also because of the controversial image of the kingdom. “The first thought was: does this really make sense?” says Schmidt. A trip to Riyadh and a meeting with the women’s football boss convinced him. “On site we saw that there is a lot of strong development in the country. When we heard about the plans to create the women’s league, we wanted to support this project.” The hospitality was also exceptional, including a visit to the stadium for a Cristiano Ronaldo match.

The Zurich company now supplies the women of Al-Shabab. In return, the Swiss receive the sponsor print on the players’ trousers. The purpose of the deal is not just the recovery of the players. International sponsors such as Kaex should help, as has already happened in men’s football, to attract the big stars of the women to the desert, Princess Al Saud told the ‘Arab News’.

There have also been discussions about being able to sell the Swiss product on the Saudi market. But wait a minute. A cure for a hangover in a Muslim country where alcohol is banned? Schmidt: “We were aware of the special constellation and were initially cautious about this subject. But when it came up, there was a lot of understanding for the original idea behind our product development.”

Source : Blick