Fabio Capello to front World Cup-themed beverage packaging

(All rights reserved - Carlsberg Group)

England football boss Fabio Capello has been revealed as the face of an unlikely promotional partnership. The team manager, who is known for his love of art and culture, is to appear on retail packs of Carlsberg, after the Danish brewing company secured his signature.

Capello has developed a reputation for being a straight-talking man, a successful tactician and disciplinarian reticent to discuss his personal life, so his presence on the packaging is a little out of the ordinary.

Flanked by squad and team players David James, Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and Jermaine Defoe, the manager's presence goes to show how robust and popular his no-nonsense image has become.

Previous packs of England-centric Carlsberg boxes featured former captains John Terry and David Beckham as well as Matthew Upson and Peter Crouch.

The World Cup is an important focal event for companies jostling to position their products as essential leisure-time accompaniments. Carlsberg, who are one of the England team's official sponsors, are expecting the World Cup to add up to €95 million to their coffers.

While Coca Cola is a FIFA Partner and Budweiser a FIFA World Cup Sponsor, other drinks companies will be keen to associate themselves with the tournament by teaming up with national Football Associations and running campaigns that take advantage of the atmosphere surrounding this summer's festival of football.