2011/12 Champions League winners Chelsea Football Club have announced the signing of Russian energy giant Gazprom as the club’s global energy partner.

The new agreement, which was announced Tuesday 17th July by Chelsea FC chief executive Ron Gourlay, sees Gazprom supplying gas and electricity to the Premier League club for the next three years.

As part of the deal, Moscow-headquartered Gazprom – who recently agreed to become an official partner of the Uefa Champions League – will become heavily involved in Chelsea’s award-winning global corporate social responsibility activities.

Chelsea’s signing of Gazprom as an official sponsor is the latest in a series of major international deals that the club has tied up in recent months.

“This is another very exciting global partnership for the club, and demonstrates the ever-growing appeal of Chelsea FC,” said Gourlay. “As a global supplier of energy with a commitment to the environment and social responsibility, Gazprom is a perfect match for the club.

“Our huge fanbase around the world will help Gazprom reach their key markets in Europe and Asia, while we will benefit from their support in developing further our wide-ranging CSR programmes.”

Gazprom Marketing & Trading chief executive Vitaly Vasiliev added, “The Gazprom group is delighted to be associated with such a well known and successful brand in international football. Gazprom supplies secure and clean natural gas to clients all over the world and this energy partnership with the European champions gives us an outstanding global platform to further raise our profile across our European and global markets. We very much look forward to working together over the coming three seasons.”

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich sold his shares in oil producing and refining company Sibneft, now Gazprom Neft, to Gazprom in September 2005. At the time Gazprom’s acquisition of Sibneft was the largest corporate takeover in Russia.

Terms of Gazprom’s financial commitment to Chelsea were not released.

Source: sportspromedia.com

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