Chinese telecom giant Huawei now official sponsor of Argentine club River Plate

Huawei's Argentinean marketing director Rodrigo Ubeda (L) delivers the first Y6 smartphone to Nicolas Alganaraz (C), at a store of the telecommunication giant of China, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sept 30, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

BUENOS AIRES - The Argentinean football club River Plate announced on Wednesday that Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd  has became its newest sponsor.

The event to announce the partnership was held at the River Museum dedicated to the club in Buenos Aires, and was attended by a number of luminaries, including Sergio Goycochea, River Plate's former goalkeeper and runner-up with Argentina at the 1990 World Cup.

The sponsorship was announced by River Plate president Rodolfo D'Onofrio, the team's coach Marcelo Gallardo, and its captain Leonardo Ponzio, as well as George Zhang Zhe, Huawei's CEO of Terminals for Argentina and Uruguay.

This agreement will see the Huawei logo appear on the team's shirt sleeves, as well as on posters inside the Monumental Stadium and on various communication and promotion materials.

The sponsorship will last for two seasons. "It is an honor for River to have Huawei (logo) as part of our shirt. We are very satisfied to be able to work together with a world-leading company in technology, with values, seriousness and commitment," D'Onofrio said.

In response, Zhang Zhe said that "the sports sponsorships we are carrying out on a global level help us to get closer to our consumers. It lets them feel that Huawei is a local brand...which is committed to staying and growing along with them."

"We identify with Argentinean football, as the company shares its values: the passion and professionalism which characterize it," he added.

In July, Huawei signed a similar sponsorship agreement with Boca Juniors, another of Argentina's most famous football clubs.

Around the world, the company has sponsored other leading teams, including AC Milan, Ajax Amsterdam, Arsenal, Atletico de Madrid, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Club America, Galatasaray and Paris Saint-Germain.

Huawei is China's leading cellphone manufacturer and the third-largest in the world.