By David Gold
February 16 – Bakcell, one of Azerbaijan’s leading mobile phone providers, has been confirmed as the third company so far committed to support the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, being held later this year from September 22 to October 13.
Bakcell chief executive Richard Shearer was at a ceremony at FIFA headquarters in Zurich along with fellow sponsors Xalq Bank and state oil company SOCAR.
The trio met with FIFA to discuss the tournament, which will be held later this year and staged in Baku and Lankaran.
Bakcell will provide crucial support for the tournament as they assist FIFA and the Local Organising Committee in their preparations.
FIFA’s head of strategy and brand management Ralph Straus said: “We are delighted with the trust and support of companies such as SOCAR, Xalq Bank and Bakcell.
“Their knowledge of the Azerbaijani market and efforts to promote the event in the host country are a crucial component in our drive to deliver a fantastic event this summer.”
Richard Shearer, the chief executive of Bakcell, added: “The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup should be a great occasion for the Azerbaijani people.
“Football is the people’s game and Bakcell is the people’s mobile operator so we’re delighted to be so closely involved in the event.”
SOCAR’s vice-president Zaur Gahramanov added that they were delighted at “strengthening our commitment to grassroots football through this cooperation with FIFA”.
Xalq Bank chief executive Elkhan Aghayev echoed those sentiments, saying: “We believe that this activity is a small contribution to promoting sport and a healthy lifestyle amongst the population of Azerbaijan”.
Oil-rich Azerbaijan hope that the opportunity to successfully stage the tournament can lead to more events coming to the country.
Baku is currently one of five cities in the running to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics having failed with a bid to stage the 2016 Games.
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