Caf ropes in Total in patnership deal

Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
THE Confederation of African Football (Caf) yesterday signed an eight-year sponsorship deal with leading petroleum firm Total that will see the company bankrolling 10 principal competitions beginning with the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) next year.

The monetary value will be announced in the coming weeks, according to Caf media officer Junior Binyam.

“It’s a global package not related specifically to prize money. The parties have agreed not to communicate the amount involved on the deal for the time being. Maybe that will happen in the weeks ahead when a ceremony will be organised by top management of the two institutions,” said Binyam in response to Chronicle Sport’s inquiries about the financial details of the deal.

In a statement yesterday, Caf said next year’s Afcon tournament in Gabon from January 14 to February 5 will be known as Total Africa Cup of Nations.

“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. 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,” Caf president Issa Hayatou said.

Total chief executive officer Patrick Pouyanné weighed in. “We are delighted to partner with Caf because Africa is part of Total’s makeup. 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,” Pouyanné said.

The scale and duration of this sponsorship reflect Total’s strong roots in Africa. With operations in more than 40 countries, the company is a major contributor to the continent’s economy.

Total is now also the principal sponsor of 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.