(11 July 2006 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: With the 2006 Fifa World Cup recently coming to a close, the focus of the football world has now shifted to Africa and its economy for the next four-year cycle which will culminate in the first Fifa World Cup in South Africa.

As Fifa embarks on this new era, the world governing body of football announced that for the first time, an African company – MTN Group has signed up as a Fifa World Cup Sponsor. The agreement awards MTN global rights to the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa as well as to the Fifa Confederations Cup in 2009.

Fifa president Joseph Blatter says, "We are proud that MTN has chosen Fifa for this landmark commitment which creates a true partnership with many opportunities for both of us. Telecommunications play a key role in uniting people and we are convinced that we have found a highly dedicated partner in Africa and the Middle East’s leading mobile telecommunications group, which is also the keenest supporter of African football on the continent”.

MTN Group president and CEO Phuthuma Nhleko says, “The Fifa World Cup has a spectacular reach around the world through the universal language of football and it is this unique attribute that convinced us to commit to this global sponsorship deal. This is an ideal opportunity for us to leverage the powerful assets of MTN to a global audience and to show that the time for Africa has come. It means a lot to us to be part of this unique global movement.”

MTN will operate in the product area of mobile telecommunication services which spans all key technologies in the mobile sector, including services to media and FIFA as well as to the Organising Committee. In addition to the standard global marketing rights (exclusive commercial use of the Official Marks of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009), MTN has acquired mobile content rights for a defined set of territories mainly in Africa and the Middle East. This includes features such as video highlights of all matches played during these two tournaments in South Africa in 2009 and 2010.

MTN is the third company after Anheuser-Busch and McDonald’s to join the proposed six-member group of Fifa World Cup Sponsors under FIFA’s new commercial hierarchy. This comprises six Fifa partners, six Fifa World Cup Sponsors and six National Supporters. Fifa has already signed up all six Fifa Partners - Adidas, Hyundai, Sony, Coca-Cola, Visa and Emirates Airline. In addition, FNB was announced recently as the first National Supporter of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.