LONDON, 28 October - The Malaysian Foreign Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) has officially announced the renaming of Queen Park Rangers football club's iconic stadium as MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium.
The official announcement was made by MATRADE chairman Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican together with Queen Park Rangers (QPR) club co-owner Datuk Ruben Gnanalingam Abdullah, who is also a member of the MATRADE Board of Directors during an official visit to the Loftus Road Stadium in London on Saturday.
QPR Chief Executive Officer Lee Hoos said he sees this agreement as a win-win action including benefits for both parties.
Through this strategic collaboration, QPR's Loftus Road Stadium is now named MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium with effect until the 2025-2026 season.
MATRADE is an agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) responsible for developing and promoting Malaysian exports to the international market.
Reezal sees the agreement as capable of becoming a bridge that improves trade relations between Britain and Malaysia. Reezal added that MATRADE will take the opportunity of this collaboration to further increase its global recognition as an agency that is trusted to strengthen Malaysian trade in collaboration with renowned football clubs such as QPR.
Meanwhile, MATRADE Chief Executive Officer Datuk Mohd Mustafa expects that with MATRADE's exposure at Loftus Road, the amount of exports of products and services produced by Malaysian companies to the United Kingdom and Europe will further increase.
The MATRADE Loftus Road name was used at the stadium for the first time when The Hoobs hosted 2015/2016 English Premier League (EPL) champions Leicester City on Saturday.