Russian nickel and palladium mining and smelting company Norilsk Nickel has agreed a sponsorship deal with the Russian Football Union.
Norilsk becomes an official partner of the RFU and the Russian national team, while benefitting from category exclusivity.
The terms of the sponsorship were not disclosed.
RFU president Vitaly Mutko said: “It is a very important milestone in the history of Russian football in the matter of building up a solid economic foundation for its development.”
Mutko last week returned to the role of president of the RFU with an immediate remit of addressing the precarious financial position the organisation finds itself in.
The national governing body had been without a permanent president since May after Nikolai Tolstykh was sacked from the role in a move prompted by the financial position of the RFU. At the time of Tolstykh’s sacking, the RFU was said to have accumulated debts of approximately 1.4 billion rubles (€20.8m/$22.9m).
Norilsk Nickel will also support the RFU’s grassroots football projects.