SportPesa, Arsenal extend partnership

Online betting firm SportPesa and English Premier League giants Arsenal on Friday extended their partnership to cover the whole of Africa for the next three years with rights of association across the continent.

The new deal, which makes SportPesa Arsenal’s official betting partner in the entire continent, comes in the wake of a similar deal which the two parties signed in January.

The earlier deal had made SportPesa the club’s official betting partners in Kenya.

The new deal was finalised with a contract signed by representatives from both camps at the Maasai Mara on Friday.

The parties said the deal is geared towards nurturing grassroots football.

And in an interview with Saturday Nation Sport at the Mara Game Reserve, Gordon Tannock, Arsenal’s Head of Partner Services said: "We are elated to expand and extend our partnership to not just in Kenya, but Africa and the aim is to make both brands grow."

Peter Silverstone, the Business Development Director at Arsenal, hailed the expansion of the partnership.

"Arsenal has a big fan base in Africa and an even stronger support in Kenya, and we have been pleased to partner and support the Sportpesa football initiative," Silverstone said.

Silverstone added that they will continue to support SportPesa’s goal of developing talents which is aimed at ensuring that Kenya qualifies for the 2022 Fifa World Cup finals in Qatar.

For his part, SportPesa Chief Operating Officer Raja Sarkar said that focus is on professionalising football in the country.

"Our partnership with them (Arsenal) in Kenya has so far has been a success and we hope we will replicate it in Africa," Sarkar said.

SportPesa has in the recent past entered into several partnerships with EPL clubs Southampton and Hull City, the Kenya Rugby Union, Football Kenya Federation, Kenyan Premier League amongst others.