Continental Renews World Cup Deal
Automobile supplier Continental has renewed its World Cup sponsorship deal with FIFA, becoming the fifth company to join the six-to-eight-member club of top-tier World Cup sponsors signed up until 2010.
The agreement, which continues a partnership that started back in January 2003, gives Continental exclusive global marketing rights in the product categories tyres and run-flat systems for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup, both of which will be held in South Africa.
In addition, Continental has an option to extend the contract until the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Continental has strong ties in South Africa, with a tyre production plant in the FIFA World Cup venue Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth, where 1,600 employees produced 2.6m tyres in 2007.
Continental has a long-standing relationship with football, including sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League from 1995 until 2000, the 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008, as well as various sponsorships of club teams.
FIFA’s commercial hierarchy comprises six FIFA Partners, six to eight FIFA World Cup Sponsors and six National Supporters.
The six members of the FIFA Partners category are adidas, Coca-Cola, Emirates Airline, Hyundai, Sony and Visa. Only three slots are left as second-tier FIFA World Cup sponsors alongside Anheuser-Busch, Continental, McDonalds, MTN and Satyam. FNB and Telkom have claimed two of the six National Supporter slots and negotiations are currently underway to confirm the remaining four.
