By partnering with CAF, Visa – a global leader in payments – expects to have 80 percent of tickets purchased for the Total Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in 2019 and 2021, done via VISA payment technology, the Director for Corporate Communications, Niyi Adebiyi has indicated.
In an interview at the signing of the partnership deal with the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) as a sponsor of the Total Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in 2019 and 2021 on Monday in Accra, Adebiyi said this expectations is based on what VISA has been able to do with other tournaments.
Sponsorship Deal
The sponsorship deal will make the payments giant the exclusive payment services provider at all venues during the Total AFCON in 2019 and 2021 and will be the preferred payment option for tickets bought both in-person and online.
In addition, Visa will be the official partner of the player escort program, giving over 1,100 children the opportunity to lead their football heroes out at the Total AFCON matches.
Coming off the back of a successful 2018 FIFA World Cup campaign in Russia and with preparations underway for the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019, the partnership builds on Visa’s strategy to bring the best of their sponsorship experience on the global stage to regional tournaments.
At the signing of the deal, Ahmad Ahmad, President, Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) said: “The benefits of investing in African football are clear to see, and with football being the number one passion of consumers across the continent we’re delighted to welcome Visa as a sponsor of the Total AFCON tournament.”
“Through this partnership with CAF, Visa will be able to connect further with its customers and leverage CAF as an innovative marketing platform. I’m certain that together we will take African football to the next level,” Ahmad noted.
“Being the exclusive payment services partner at some of the biggest global sporting properties in the world has enabled us to showcase the latest in payment innovation on a global stage and has had a demonstrable impact on the fan experience and local merchant environment,” said said Andrew Torre, Regional President, Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA), Visa.
By Joshua W. Amlanu
