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Beyond Petroleum (BP) and Castrol have been launched as the official sponsors of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

During a media briefing at the Loftus Versveld Stadium in Tshwane yesterday, both companies pointed out that they came on board because they believe that it will help them get closer to their customers.

With 573 days remaining before the World Cup comes to Africa for the first time, BP and Castrol said that it is important for them to brief the media on their role in the event. Journalists from South Africa, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe attended the briefing and were treated to a fun-filled day in the South African capital.

Speaking at the occasion, BP chief executive officer, Sipho Maseko said they are not new to football as his company has been involved in the development of the sport in different countries over the years. BP sponsored the top eight tournament in South Africa from 1972. The sponsorship was terminated in recent years to allow the company to focus on other things. Currently, the company sponsors a top eight competition in Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia.

Maseko said that by sponsoring the World Cup, they want to make things better. "Our legacy stretches beyond South Africa. Our view is that there is a spirit that the World Cup generates and we are going to contribute to its success. Hopefully, one of the African teams will reach the finals," he said. The BP boss pointed out that they would like to see their involvement in football go beyond 2010.

Castrol representative Polly Flynn said they believe that being passionate about oil is the same as being passionate about football. "We believe that if we want to reach our people, we have to go through football as we realised that football is a common language to our customers." She pointed out that their companies are thrilled to have former Manchester United goalkeeper Gary Bailey as their ambassador because he represents Africa and is a true businessman.

FIFA media officer Delia Fischer applauded both companies for coming on board and said that the World Cup is full of surprises as evidenced by what happened in the 2002 edition in Korea and Japan. She said that at the time, nobody knew that Korea was a football nation until it caused a shock by reaching the semis, hence all Africans should remain confident that one of their teams can rise to the occasion.

(Source: Allafrica.com)