global consulting and it firm will play a pivotal role in developing core it event management system for fifa
Satyam Computer Services Ltd. (NYSE:SAY), a leading global consulting and information technology services provider, announced today that it has signed up as a FIFA World Cup Sponsor and Official Information Technology (IT) Services Provider to the FIFA World Cup. The relationship covers two event cycles - the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the 2014 edition in Brazil - and each cycle also includes the FIFA Confederation Cup tournament. Satyam is one of four FIFA World Cup sponsors announced for the 2010 event and is the sponsor in the IT services category. The move reaffirms the company’s widespread capabilities to manage IT services requirements of some of the biggest events in the world.
As the Official IT Services Provider to the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, Satyam, which already enjoys a business relationship with FIFA, will play a crucial role in developing the core IT event management system for FIFA and its Service Partner for IT, Accommodation and Hospitality - MATCH AG, as well as Local Organizing Committees during the next seven years. With a presence in more than 57 countries, Satyam can fully leverage its global expertise and therefore enable FIFA not only to deliver world-class events but also focus on generating a long-lasting legacy for the host countries through hiring and educating local event staff.
Commenting on the development, B. Ramalinga Raju, Chairman and Founder of Satyam, said: “Our sponsorship recognizes the sport’s universal appeal and its tradition of skill, speed, competitiveness and teamwork - attributes that reflect Satyam’s own qualities. Over the last two decades Satyam has become an established global company and this sponsorship will serve to further increase Satyam’s global expansion and accelerate its growth.”
The sponsorship also builds on Satyam’s fast-growing presence in South Africa and across the region. Satyam’s business in South Africa doubled this past year, and the company will soon be opening offices in Ghana and Kenya. Satyam is a significant investor in South Africa and leads a skills development initiative for South Africans under the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA) program. Currently, more than 80 South African students are enrolled in a year-long technical training program at the company’s campus in Hyderabad, India.
“I am very proud that Satyam has chosen the FIFA World Cup for this historic move. Satyam’s commitment is a testimony to the immense appeal of FIFA as a superior marketing platform for transporting a brand far and wide around the world. It is a big advantage for all those involved in the events to have such an experienced IT service partner on board,” said FIFA President, Joseph S. Blatter, who added: “We look forward to working with such a dedicated partner who shares our ideals and mission to use football as a tool to develop the game, touch the world and to build a better future.”
Each FIFA World Cup is the culmination of a two and a half year preliminary competition involving approximately 200 national teams. The 2006 FIFA World Cup broadcast more than 76,000 hours of coverage over 376 channels worldwide, cumulatively reaching more than 26 billion viewers - more than any other sports event in the world.
“This sponsorship represents a long-term, strategic investment by Satyam in its brand and significantly strengthens Satyam’s ability to reach markets across the globe and demonstrate our leading-edge technologies and practices. We are pleased with the confidence that FIFA has placed in Satyam to deliver key, mission-critical business and technology services to the world’s foremost sporting event,” said Hari Thalapalli, Head of Global Marketing and Communications for Satyam.
“Our involvement with Satyam has proven very strategic. We are encouraged by the shared vision between Satyam and the Republic of South Africa to invest in the people of South Africa. This kind of partnership is one we wish to have with even more companies wishing to do successful business in South Africa. Satyam have realized that to lead, they have to invest in the most valuable resource: human resource. We congratulate Satyam on being named Official IT Services Provider to the FIFA World Cup and their role in delivering the games to the world,” said Her Excellency Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa.
