Ramatsiyi Moholoa

Ramatsiyi Moholoa

The world soccer governing body yesterday unveiled Castrol as one of the Fifa World Cup sponsors, starting with the tournament coming to South Africa in 2010.

The petroleum company has signed a six-year deal with Fifa, which will run until the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.

Also included in the whole package are next year's Confederations Cup in 2009 and 2014 in South Africa and Brazil, respectively.

Castrol were also involved in the 2008 European Championship, which Spain won when they defeated Germany 1-0 in a tense final in Vienna, Austria, on Sunday night.

During that tournament, they developed the Performance Index, a new tool that helps fans to objectively analyse individual player and team performances.

Sepp Blatter, Fifa president, said they were delighted that the petroleum company were also on board to support the quadrennial soccer spectacle.

"The Fifa World Cup, with more than 26 billion television viewers, attracts massive involvement from fans and non-fans alike, who are drawn to the excitement that comes with top national-team football," Blatter said.

"With its new Performance Index, Castrol has enhanced the fans' experience with exclusive data on the players' speed, efficiency and performance in matches."

The index is developed with renowned football experts such as Arsene Wenger, Ottmar Hitzfeld and Emilio Butragueno.