Kevin Gameiro of Sevilla FC clears the ball during the La Liga match against Club Atletico de Madrid at Vicente Calderon Stadium in Madrid, Spain, on Jan. 24, 2016. (Photo : Getty Images)
Chinese telecom firm ZTE on Sunday announced that it has signed a sponsorship deal with Spanish soccer team Sevilla FC to become its “Official Technology Partner” and smartphone provider.
The announcement of the agreement with Sevilla, the reigning UEFA Europa League champion and a finalist for this year's Copa Del Rey, was made on the eve of the Mobile World Congress, which opened in Barcelona on Monday.
"ZTE are proud to be the new official technological partner of Sevilla FC, one of the best sides in the world," ZTE CEO Jacky Zhang said in a statement posted on ZTE website. "We look forward to having even more sports fans become ZTE fans, to forge new legends for the mobile century."
Under the agreement, ZTE and Sevilla will jointly carry out events throughout the current season with supporters and on social media sites. ZTE will also be given advertising space and conduct marketing and publicity campaigns on various parts of Sevilla's Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.
Sevilla FC President Jose Castro Carmona said the agreement will be "tremendously beneficial" for both parties.
"I am very pleased and honored to cooperate with one of the leading technology companies in the world," Castro said.
The agreement is one of several recent tie-ins ZTE has made with sports teams across the globe. In the U.S., the Guangdong-based company is the technological partner of NBA teams such as the Golden State Warriors, the New York Knicks, the Houston Rockets and the Chicago Bulls.
Meanwhile, ZTE will bring a traveling roadshow to Europe in the coming months with the "Experience Bus," which will pass through five countries and 15 cities in two months, offering the public the opportunity to try out some of ZTE's latest consumer electronic devices including its flagship Axon smartphone and the Spro smart projector.
