Gazprom Ink Four-Year Partnership Deal with FIFA

September 16, 2013

Russia’s state-controlled gas firm Gazprom has signed a four-year sponsorship deal with FIFA that will include the 2018 World Cup in the country.

President Vladimir Putin attended the signing ceremony on Saturday in Sochi, the host city for next years’ Winter Olympics.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller were also in the city to sign the deal which runs from 2015-2018.

Putin said: “I am pleased that you have an agreement on working together. 

“We have discussed for a long time, or rather you have discussed with Gazprom, one of our leading companies, how you can work together, not only in the light of World Cup preparations, but generally with FIFA support. 

“The work you do is undoubtedly very important. I would even call it noble, because unlike many other associations that simply proclaim nice and well-intentioned goals, you actually work to achieve them and realise them. 

“This has simply no precedent in humanitarian spheres and is of great value.”

As a part of the deal Gazprom can use the FIFA and World Cup logos in advertisements.

Great honour

At the ceremony Blatter added: “It’s a great honour for us, it’s an honour for football, and it’s an honour for the forthcoming World Cup.

“Naturally, we know that you are currently busy with problems other than football, but we are especially pleased that you found the time to attend this ceremony today. 

“For my part I would like to emphasise that today we are not concluding a sponsorship agreement, but rather a partnership one with Gazprom.”

Gazprom is a sponsor of the UEFA Champions League and is a financial supporter of Zenit St. Petersburg. The company is also a sponsor of Sochi 2014 and has a long-standing sponsorship relationship with the Olympic Games.

{jcomments on}