Indian tech giant becomes 4th sponsor of 2010

FIFA announced on Saturday that the agreement awards Satyam the global rights for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and the two FIFA Confederations Cups which will take place within the same period.

The partnership was confirmed by FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Satyam Chairman and founder Ramalinga Raju at a signing ceremony on the eve of Africa's first taste of world cup action, the 2010 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw.

"I am very proud that Satyam has chosen the world cup for this historic move. Satyam's commitment is testimony to the immense appeal of FIFA as a superior marketing platform for transporting a brand around the world.

"It is a big advantage for all those involved in the events to have such an experienced IT service partner on board.

"We look forward to working with such a dedicated partner who shares our ideals and identifies with our mission to use football as a tool to touch the world and build a better future," said Blatter.

As the official IT service provider during both the world cups in 2010 and 2014, Satyam will play a crucial role in developing the IT event management system for FIFA and its service partner for IT, hospitality and accommodation, as well as local organising committees during the next seven years.

Speaking at the signing Raju said: "We are pleased with the confidence FIFA has in Satyam to deliver mission-critical business and technology services for the world's foremost sporting event.

"This sponsorship recognises the sport's universal appeal and its tradition of skill, speed, competitiveness and teamwork - attributes that reflect Satyam's own qualities."

Satyam is a significant investor in South Africa and leads a skills development initiative for South Africa under the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA).

JIPSA supports the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa's (AsgiSA's) goals by seeking to equip people with skills as well as recruiting and sourcing the skills required to achieve AsgiSA's targets.

AsgiSA is aimed at reaching the country's goals of achieving 6% annual economic growth by 2010 and also halving unemployment and poverty by 2014.

Currently more than 80 South African students are enrolled in the year-long technical training programme at the company's campus in Hyderbad, India.

Article published courtesy of BuaNews