The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and global integrated energy producer and provider Total have reached an agreement, with the well-known brand confirmed as the official sponsor of African football for the next eight years, which includes being the Africa Cup of Nations title sponsor.
Total will support the African confederation’s ten major competitions, starting with the upcoming 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will be held in Gabon from January 14th to February 5th, 2017.
The brand now becomes the main sponsor of the event, with naming rights included in the agreement, which means that the tournament will be known as the Total Africa Cup of Nations until at least 2024, when the deal may be renewed if both parties agree.
Total replaces French telecommunications giant Orange as the title sponsor of the AFCON, with their agreement which was penned in 2009 coming to a close. MTN were naming rights sponsors of the competition before Orange.
In a press release from the football body, President of the Confederation of African Football, Issa Hayatou announced the deal.
“This partnership is a major milestone in our ongoing search for additional resources to accelerate African football’s development, bring its governance up to date, upgrade its sports infrastructure and advance its performance globally,” said Hayatou, according to CAFOnline.
“As a leading multinational in its field, with strong ties to Africa, Total will make a significant contribution to CAF’s initiatives to foster personal and professional growth for young Africans,” he added.
Patrick Pouyanné, President and Chief Executive Officer of Total, added his thoughts to the joint-statement.
“We are delighted to partner with CAF, because Africa is part of Total’s makeup,” said Pouyanné.
“Through this commitment, we hope to strengthen ties to our stakeholders and customers through exciting, celebratory events that are always popular, including within our own teams,” he added.
With operations in more than 40 countries, Total is a major contributor to the Africa’s economy. The company says that more than 10,000 people work in all of Total’s African businesses, from oil and gas production to processing and marketing.
As the Africa Cup of Nations title sponsor, and the title sponsor of 9 other CAF competitions, Total will be seen at more than 1,500 matches during the course of the eight-year agreement.
Aside from the AFCON), the sponsorship will affect The African Nations Championship (CHAN), the CAF inter-club competitions (CAF Champions League, CAF Confederation Cup and CAF Super Cup), the Youth competitions (U-23, U-20 and U-17 Africa Cup of Nations), the Women Africa Cup of Nations and the Futsal Africa Cup of Nations.
Other brands currently associated with African football include the likes of Samsung, Standard Bank, PPC Cement, Pepsi and Adidas.
