The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) has agreed to become the seventh global partner for the 2016 European Football Championship as part of a wide-ranging deal with Uefa.
Under the agreement, SOCAR will become an official sponsor of Uefa national team competitions, and will also be included in the commercial programme for this summer’s European Under-21 Championship and Women’s Euro final tournaments.
In addition, SOCAR will acquire rights in connection with the European Qualifiers, which run from 2014 to 2017 and relate to qualification matches for Euro 2016 and the 2018 Fifa World Cup. The company will also become an official sponsor of the 2016 European Under-17 Championship, which will be hosted in SOCAR’s home nation, Azerbaijan.
Elshad Nasirov, SOCAR’s vice-president of marketing and investments, said: “Sponsorships across sport are a very significant point for us, and for SOCAR to be associated with such a large-scale and exciting competition as the 2016 Uefa European Football Championship is very important. This sponsorship provides us with a unique platform to raise the international profile of SOCAR, and reflects our vision of establishing and building a premium brand in the energy sector.”
SOCAR joins international brands Coca-Cola, Adidas, McDonald’s, Hyundai/Kia, Continental and Carlsberg as a global partner for Euro 2016, which will take place in France.