MCB is the Official Mauritius Bank of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

MCB is the Official Mauritius Bank of the 2010 FIFA World CupTM
Port Louis, 23 November 2009: The MCB Group has signed for the biggest sports event on
Earth by becoming the Official Mauritius Bank of the 2010 FIFA World Cup TM, in association with
Visa. This partnership, the first of its kind concluded by a Mauritius based business, kicks off
today and will last until September 2010.
Dream team
MCB has leveraged on its long association with Visa to obtain the title of Official Mauritian Bank.
Visa has obtained exclusive rights to FIFA World CupTM financial services category sponsorship. It
has then granted exclusive banking category rights in Mauritius to MCB. The deal will see MCB
benefit from an allocation of 92 FIFA World Cup TM tickets, including 30 for the Round 16 matches
and onwards.
World’s biggest sports event
The FIFA World Cup TM is the largest, most viewed and most celebrated sports event in the world.
Television coverage of the 2006 FIFA World CupTM was the most extensive to date with 376
channels airing a total of 43,600 broadcasts across 214 countries and territories. The 2006 FIFA
World CupTM had a total cumulative audience of 26.29 billion. In fact, 1 in 9 people worldwide
watched the final match between France and Italy.
Unparalleled passion
Football, unquestionably the most followed sport on the planet, has a global audience of billions of
passionate fans who see the FIFA World CupTM as the Holy Grail of sport. And studies reveal that
71% of fans believe that sponsors play a vital role in providing support needed for the FIFA World
CupTM to take place. In fact, half of them claim that brands carrying the official FIFA World Cup™
logo or Trophy attract their attention.
Everyone’s a winner
As the Official Mauritian Bank of the 2010 FIFA World CupTM, MCB will make this most eagerly
awaited sports event even more thrilling for its valued customers and the local population at large.
Football is, after all, the number one sports in Mauritius. The coming months will be full of
excitement as MCB will launch a series of special offers, promotions and events designed to build
up the excitement all the way to the final match of the 11th of July at Soccer City in
Johannesburg. While each campaign will be unveiled in due time, MCB is pleased to announce
that each MCB customer will have a chance to win a ticket for the experience of a lifetime: the
final of the FIFA 2010 FIFA World CupTM! More details will be communicated at the launch of the
promotion.
Refill...all the way to the 2010 FIFA World Cup TM
MCB kicks off its first 2010 FIFA World CupTM themed promotion on the 1st of December 2009.
Between that date and the 15th of January 2010, weekly SMS Refill transactions totaling more
The Mauritius Commercial Bank Limited | Media Relations
Ryan COOPAMAH
Tel: +230 202 5439 – email: [email protected]
website: www.mcb.mu
than Rs 200 will attract a 6% cashback. Moreover, for each multiple of Rs 200 in SMS Refill
transactions made during the promotional period, the MCB customer will earn a lucky number to
participate in a draw which will take place in February 2010. The winner will get a ticket to watch
one of the Round of 16 matches.
Number one supporter
The designation of MCB as the Official Mauritian Bank of the 2010 FIFA World Cup TM is a
watershed for sports sponsorship in Mauritius. As the leading bank in East Africa, MCB has
always had sports at heart. Over the last decades, the Group has supported numerous high
calibre events ranging from local championships to African Championships and the Indian Ocean
Islands Games. It is also the presenting sponsor of the MCB Open, the most prestigious golf
competition to be held in this part of the world, from the 8th to the 13th of December 2009.
From St Hilaire to Johannesburg
Sports are also an important component of the MCB’s Corporate Social Responsibility
programme. While supporting a number of disciplines at grassroots level, MCB has invested
heavily in developing the MCB Football Academy (MCBFA) concept. This innovative project
blends sports and community development in underprivileged areas in Mauritius: children aged
between 7 and 11 attend football training every Saturday while qualified staff follow up on their
education and coach their parents. Psychologists are also at hand to help families in need of
specific assistance. The MCBFA, which is now operational at Saint Hilaire, Poste de Flacq and
Grand Baie, has 350 members to date. The next MCBFA will open at Camp Levieux, Rose Hill.
Pierre-Guy Noël, Chief Executive Group, MCB: “We have always been very passionate about
sports. Becoming the first Mauritian business to team up with the world’s most powerful sports
property corresponds with our stature as the leading bank in Mauritius, the Indian Ocean and East
Africa. It also demonstrates our unflinching support for sports, from the MCBFA in underprivileged
regions to the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. Above all, this event is about the world coming
together. So let’s celebrate, together with our customers and the population at large”
The Mauritius Commercial Bank Limited | Media Relations
Ryan COOPAMAH
Tel: +230 202 5439 – email: [email protected]
website: www.mcb.mu