By Kim Yoo-chul
Staff Reporter
Samsung Electronics has become one of the official sponsors of the Africa Cup of Nations scheduled to kick off in Ghana on Sunday.
The biennial competition is the premier football event on the African continent, which has been held since 1957. Sixteen teams will compete in the coastal country for the 26th championship. The competing countries are split into four groups.
With such international stars as Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba and Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o, the African championship is now arguably the second most popular continental championship in the world following the European Championship.
For this year, a million visitors are expected to visit Ghana for the soccer event.
``We expect the sponsorship to help us gain additional momentum in raising our brand recognition further and to maintain sustainable growth in the African market,’’ an official from Samsung Electronics said.
Samsung has been selling low-priced home appliances such as cathode-ray television sets and small-sized freezers in sub-Sahara regions, while promoting handsets in the $50 price range and liquid crystal displays in relatively bigger economies including Morocco and Egypt.
``Despite growing worries over our global image, mostly due to the deepening bribery scandal, we will more actively support the major soccer events in Central America and Europe,’’ the official added.
The last two tournaments were won by the hosts ― Egypt in 2006 and Tunisia in 2002. There is speculation that this year competition could belong to Ghana but Morocco and Guinea are tough opponents.