Gazprom Bets on FIFA to Increase Soft Powers in Europe

Russia’s Gazprom signed an agreement with FIFA on Saturday to become an Official FIFA Partner for all competitions between 2015 and 2018, including the 2018 FIFA World Cup. 

“The cooperation with FIFA means for us entering a new level of world-class support to football. For Gazprom it is an important step in positioning itself as a global energy company,” said Alexey Miller in a note published on the company’s website.

The move can help Gazprom to increase its “soft powers,” its ability to be influential in Europe not only through contracts.

Gazprom is already an official partner of the UEFA Champions League and supports four main clubs: Football Club Zenit (Russia), Chelsea (UK), Shalke 04 (Germany) and Crvena Zvezda (Serbia).

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will take place in 11 Russian cities. Moscow was named by the FIFA Executive Committee in December 2010.

The agreement was signed on Sochi, in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, Gazprom Management Committee Chairman Alexey Miller and FIFA President Joseph Blatter.