Betting operator SuperSport has become the title sponsor of the Croatian Football Cup, the country’s most prestigious domestic knockout competition.
Under the terms of the deal, the tournament will be known as SuperSport Croatian Football Cup during the 2021-22 season, starting with the round of 16 matches that are scheduled for this week.
SuperSport – which is majority owned by private equity group EMMA Capital – will donate K10,000 ($1580/€1340/£1140) to each host club in the round of 16 to assist them in organising the matches. Its standing in the jurisdiction will be boosted by five of the eight games being broadcast live by Croatian Football Television (HNTV).
“The Croatian Football Cup deserves a title sponsor and that is why we are looking forward to this cooperation with SuperSport,” said Tomislav Svetina, executive director of the Croatian Football Federation (HNS).
“This is an important step in the further commercialisation of the competition under the auspices of HNS, which confirms the exceptional popularity and potential of Croatian football.”
SuperSport director Goran Đurić said: “We are extremely pleased with the agreement reached with HNS on sponsorship of the SuperSport Croatian Football Cup.
“We are aware of how much our players love and follow football, and how interesting the cup is for them due to its uncertainty, so it makes us proud that such an important competition is named SuperSport.”
SuperSport claims to be Croatia’s largest betting operator, with a more than 50% market share across retail and online. Founded in 2000, SAZKA Group became a strategic partner in 2018 by acquiring a controlling 67% stake in the business. However, the European lottery giant then sold this stake in May 2019, for a total consideration of €302.6m.
