Master Card to sponsor football World Cup

NEW DELHI, March 21: Mastercard International has renewed its official sponsorship of the world's largest sporting event -- football's Wo...

NEW DELHI, March 21: Mastercard International has renewed its official sponsorship of the world’s largest sporting event — football’s World Cup — which will be held during the summer of 2002 in Japan and South Korea.

This is the first time the World Cup will be held in Asia.

At the same time, Master Card announced the continuation of its relationship with three-time World Cup champion Pele, who has been Master Card’s exclusive World Cup spokesman since 1991, through the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

As an official sponsor of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Master Card maintains exclusivity in the card-based payment category, which includes all card account access devices such as credit and debit cards, ATM cards, telephone cards, etc., and receives exclusive global category rights to use the FIFA World Cup official marks, logos and designations in advertising, promotions and merchandising.

The four-year agreement, which marks Master Card’s third consecutive official World Cup sponsorship, includes two on-field perimeter boards at a total of 14 FIFA international soccer tournaments culminating with the 17th FIFA World Cup tournament in 2002.

As part of Master Card’s agreement with Pele, which will mark his third consecutive World Cup as Master Card’s official spokesman, he will appear in company and member advertisements and promotional materials worldwide in support of Master Card’s World Cup sponsorship.

In addition, Pele will make personal appearances at various functions such as meetings with Mastercard’s member financial institutions, at press conferences and other World Cup promotional events for Master Card.