M&S Food and the English Football Association (FA) have teamed up to bring the Lions’ Den live online series to football fans from the 2022 Qatar World Cup this winter.
For the third series running, the show will be hosted by Josh Denzel and broadcast live from the England camp every day from 17 November.
Fans will be able to watch exclusive behind-the-scenes content with players, legends and manager Gareth Southgate from their base in Qatar.
The news comes as many brands begin to face backlash for their association with the tournament. Controversy surrounding Qatar’s human rights record and institutionalised homophobia has plagued the public’s feelings towards the 28-day event. Most recently, BrewDog was criticised for its alleged hypocrisy in declaring itself an ‘anti-sponsor’ of the World Cup, despite findings that the brand will sell its beer at the tournament in the coming weeks.
Separately, viewers of the Lions’ Den show will also be able to see players go head-to-head in making M&S smoothies based on their teammates’ characteristics.
The campaign is part of the wider partnership between M&S Food and the FA which aims to use the influence of the England teams to help families not only make healthier eating choices easier but also show that healthy and balanced diets can be fun and enjoyable.
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“Our Eat Well partnership with the FA is only in its first few months and already we have seen some exciting activations – including our recent Eat Well, Play Well competition where children could win the chance to have a masterclass with the England team,” M&S Food and Hospitality marketing director, Sharry Cramond, said.
“The next step for us was how we could support the England team in Qatar – so sponsoring the Lions’ Den was an easy decision. Our partnership is all about using the power of football and the influence of some of the UK’s biggest footballing heroes to help families make healthier choices under the campaign banner ‘Eat Well, Play Well’.
The series, aired via England’s Official YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Tik Tok channels, will also offer a grassroots team or school the opportunity to win a training masterclass with the England team, which will take place in March 2023, thanks to the recent M&S Eat Well, Play Well competition.
