Total Becomes AFCON Sponsor

Total, a global, integrated energy producer and provider has been named as the official sponsor of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in a deal that will last for eight years.

CAF announced the deal today on its website after it reached an agreement that Total would support CAF’s ten principal competitions, starting with the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). It said that the AFCON which would hold from Jan. 14 to Feb. 5, 2017 in Gabon would be renamed as the Total Africa Cup of Nations. The statement did not say how much the deal was worth.

According to CAF President, Issa Hayatou, the partnership is a plus for football development in Africa. “This partnership is a major milestone in our ongoing search for additional resources to accelerate African football’s development.

“It brings CAF 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,” it said.

Commenting, Patrick Pouyanne, President and Chief Executive Officer of Total, said that his company which is the world’s fourth-ranked international oil and gas company and second-ranked photovoltaic solar, was delighted to partner with CAF on the growth of football on the continent.

“Through this commitment, we hope to strengthen ties with our stakeholders and customers through exciting, celebratory events that are always popular,’’ he said. The statement added that the scale and duration of this sponsorship reflect Total’s strong roots in Africa, with operations in more than 40 countries.

The 10 competitions involved in the sponsorship are the Africa Cup of Nations, African Nations Championship (CHAN), CAF inter-club competitions (CAF Champions League, CAF Confederation Cup and CAF Super Cup). Others are Youth competitions (U-23, U-20 and U-17 Africa Cup of Nations), Women Africa Cup of Nations and the Futsal Africa Cup of Nations.