Eni to sponsor Italian national football until 2018

(AGI) Rome, June 1 - Eni has signed a partnership agreement that makes it the top sponsor of the 17 national teams of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) until 2018, a period that includes the upcoming European Championships in France and the World Cup in Russia in 2018. The energy company has also decided to partner with the Italian Paralympic Committee, supporting the team in September for the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. In a press conference on Wednesday in the presence of the FIGC management, Antonio Conte, manager of the Italian national team, Florence Mayor Dario Nardella, and Eni Chief Services and Stakeholder Relations Officer Claudio Granata explained the reasons for the sponsorship. "We really wanted this partnership with the Federation. Both Eni and the national football team express traditions and values of our country that we represent. We believe in a sport made of pure competition and loyalty. It brings people together. Sport creates a sense of belonging. That is why Eni has always stood behind Italy, supporting the team in the most important events, anywhere." FIGC President Carlo Tavecchio said he welcomed the partnership. "We are delighted to partner with Eni because it marks the start of a combination of two iconic brands: the six-legged dog and the national team make all Italians proud in their respective fields. I am convinced that this partnership will help to better convey our values, both nationally and internationally." Eni considers sport a particularly useful tool to educate young people. Tomorrow's citizens learn teamwork and to respect others, the environment and rules. The partnership with FIGC is the start of an important path of integration and sharing of messages represented by sport in Italy. Eni is a sponsor of values: from attention to health to a sense of belonging, from education to social integration. Eni is with Italy. . .