On the Road to the Final: 2010 UEFA Europa League Cup Handover Ceremony Prior to the Final in Hamburg

HAMBURG, Germany, April 13, 2010 - In approximately one month's time, on 12 May 2010, the City of Hamburg
will be hosting the UEFA Europa League Final, the second most important
European football event of the year. To mark the occasion, UEFA president
Michel Platini today officially passed the UEFA Europa League Trophy on to
Ole von Beust, First Mayor of Hamburg. The Cup Handover ceremony took place
in front of the beautiful backdrop of the port of Hamburg. FC Shakhtar
Donetsk, the winner of the 2009 and last ever UEFA Cup Final, also took part
to the ceremony. The City of Hamburg is the perfect venue for the final of
the newly designed competition: with its maritime flair, numerous tourist
highlights and the legendary entertainment district Reeperbahn, the city is
regarded as Northern Europe's number one party capital and sports fan mecca.

The final will be played on Wednesday 12 May at 20.45 CET at the Hamburg
Arena, home of the Hamburger Sportverein (HSV) and one of Europe's most
atmospheric football stadiums.

Ever since Germany hosted the 2006 Football World Cup, Hamburg
has been recognised as an international football hotspot for fans. Just a few
minutes away from the stadium, fans will have the opportunity to explore
Europe's largest entertainment district - the famous Reeperbahn. There is
hardly any other street in the world with such a legendary reputation
attached to it. Originally, the Reeperbahn was a rather shabby red-light
district for sailors, by the 1960s it was the springboard for the career of
the Beatles and ever since the 1990s, the Reeperbahn has turned into one of
the world's most vibrant entertainment districts with hundreds of bars and
music-clubs. In daytime Hamburg offers a wide range of tourist highlights,
such as Europe's largest inner-city-port and the historic warehouse district
Speicherstadt including hypermodern HafenCity and the arising new landmark of
Hamburg, the Elbe Philharmonic Hall. More information: www.uefa.com,
www.hamburg-tourism.de.

    Contact:
    Hamburg Marketing GmbH
    Guido Neumann
    Tel.: +49-40-41-11-10-617
    guido.neumann@marketing.hamburg.de

Contact: Hamburg Marketing GmbH, Guido Neumann, Tel.: +49-40-41-11-10-617, guido.neumann at marketing.hamburg.de