Gazprom has become an official partner of the Uefa Champions League and Uefa Super Cup for the next three years.
The Russian natural gas giant becomes one of six sponsors of European club soccer's elite competition until the end of the 2014/15 season after agreeing a deal with Uefa marketing partner Team Marketing AG. It will be entitled to extensive and exclusive branding rights around the tournament, joining Heineken, UniCredit, Ford, MasterCard and PlayStation manufacturers Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) in one of the most coveted sponsorship categories in the sport.
Gazprom will also sponsor the Uefa Super Cup match between the winners of the Champions League and Europa League in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Financial terms were not released but sponsorship of the Uefa Champions League is widely believed to be worth a significant eight-figure sum each season.
David Taylor, chief executive of Champions League organisers Uefa Events SA, said: “I am delighted that Gazprom is to become an official partner of the Uefa Champions League for 2012 to 2015. Gazprom is a global energy company and the Uefa Champions League will benefit from Gazprom presence in more than 20 European countries and many more around the world. We expect that involvement with the Uefa Champions League will assist Gazprom to help build their brand awareness and identity on a global stage.”
Alexey Miller, the chairman of the management committee at Gazprom, added: “Gazprom is not only the largest gas company in the world, but is also one of those most passionate about football. We have a long history of supporting football clubs in Russia and Europe. Now we have joined the Uefa Champions League – the leading European club football competition. I am sure this cooperation will improve Gazprom's reputation and advance our brand awareness to a fundamentally new level on the global scale.”
As well as owning majority holdings in Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg and the Russian Premier League broadcaster NTV Plus, Gazprom is a major sponsor of German soccer club FC Schalke 04.
Uefa Champions League – Gazprom