Chinese electronics giant Hisense Group announced yesterday (January 14) a two-year sponsorship deal with UEFA which will see the company become an official global sponsor of EURO 2016.

The deal, which runs until the end of 2017, is the first ever partnership deal signed between a Chinese company and the European Championship in its 56 year history. As reported, the deal costs Hisense €50m to be associated with UEFA and EURO 2016.

In addition to the championship to be hosted in France this summer, “Hisense will sponsor other UEFA international team competitions until the end of 2017, including the European Qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Futsal EURO 2016, the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and the UEFA Women's EURO 2017,” according to UEFA.com.

Speaking about the deal, Guy-Laurent Epstein, marketing director of UEFA Events SA, said: "We are excited to welcome Hisense, one of the fastest-growing Chinese brands in Europe and America, as part of our UEFA EURO 2016 partners' family. The tournament will offer Hisense a platform second to none to continue their international growth thanks to its established global appeal and brand values. We look forward to working closely with them in a mutually beneficial partnership that will also further promote the best of European football to millions of fans in China."

Mr Cheng Kaixun, vice-president of Hisense Group, said: "I am honoured that we will have the opportunity to be a global partner for UEFA EURO 2016. Hisense has been  leading Chinese companies in endorsing sports around the world, and we are glad that sports marketing has been an important driver for our worldwide success in the past years. The partnership with UEFA will further boost Hisense's brand value, and we are excited to celebrate the finest European football with fans from across the globe."

Hisense is the tenth and final global sponsor for UEFA EURO 2016, following Adidas, Carlsberg, Coca-Cola, Continental, Hyundai-Kia, McDonald's, Orange, SOCAR and Turkish Airlines.

Source: UEFA.com

Proofread by John Devlin.