Date:25/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/25/stories/2007112561231800.htm

Sport - Football

Satyam inks a major deal

K. Keerthivasan

DURBAN: This port city is buzzing with football activity.

Around 300 journalists, both local and overseas, and more than 2,500 FIFA delegates have converged at the Durban International Convention Centre here for the 2010 FIFA World Cup preliminary draw to be held on Sunday.

The hype for the event is unbelievable, a top-level executive involved with the event said.

The FIFA Secretary-General, Jerome Valcke, will conduct the draw with guidance from former African greats Abedi Pele, Jomo Sono, Kaizer Motaung, among others.

The World Cup will be held in nine South African cities including Durban from June 11 to July 11, 2010. It’s been a matter of great concern that India, despite being a huge country with a religious fan following for football, has not been able to make a mark at the international-level.

However, for an Indian company, the World Cup will be a memorable one in several ways.

Satyam Computer Services Ltd. will be the lone Indian representative at the 2010 World Cup. Satyam, one of the leading global consulting and information technology services providers, announced here on Saturday that it has signed up as one of the FIFA World Cup sponsor and the official IT services provider for the FIFA World Cup.

The arrangement will be for the 2010 event and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and each cycle includes the FIFA Confederation Cup. Satyam is one of the four FIFA World Cup sponsors for the 2010 event and the only sponsor from the IT services sector.

Talking to a group of Indian journalists, B. Ramalinga Raju, Founder-Chairman, Satyam Computer Services Ltd., termed the deal as an opportunity to establish their brand at the global level.

“It is the first time in the history of FIFA that a global company from India is supporting the event. I welcome Satyam for being a part in the growth of FIFA,” FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter said.