Brazilian football clubs Ceará and Fortaleza have both formed individual partnerships with online sports betting platform Betcris.
As the teams enter the 2022 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Fortaleza will also debut in the Libertadores and Ceará will try once again for the Copa Sudamericana title, whilst Betcris hopes that the club’s participation in such competitions will help further its brand visibility.
Lavor Neto, Director of Marketing and Communication of Ceará, added: “This partnership comes at an opportune moment. We are talking about the union between a brand with more than 20 years of leadership in the countries where it operates, a football club with 108 years of history and a committed public.
“It is not surprising that we are a reference in a partner programme in the North and Northeast. As we prepare for a South American Cup, we become mutual collaborators with the aim of developing both the Betcris brand in Latin America, as well as Northeast and Brazilian football as a whole.”
Both collaborations aim to boost the company’s presence within the Brazilian market, where it currently has deals with brand ambassadors Ronaldinho Gaúcho, ex-professional footballer, and tennis player Natalia Gutlier.
“We are very happy with the agreement with Betcris,” added Marcelo Paz, President of Fortaleza. “The commercial department has been working to find agreements with more brand exposure in our club, generating great identification with our fans and the market. And Betcris comes to fill this space for three years.”
The teams join Betcris’ portfolio of partners which includes Major League Basketball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL), Mexico National Team, Ecuador National Team and further clubs and leagues in the sports market.
Angelo Alberoni, Country Manager of Betcris in Brazil, noted: “Betcris is a leader in Latin America and there is nothing more natural than sponsoring two Brazilian soccer giants. With sponsorships in our DNA, we chose to be in Ceará and Fortaleza because of the greatness of both and the strength that represents the Northeast.
“It will be the first sponsorship of the brand in Brazil and, together with the strongest teams in the Northeast, Betcris will bring to the Brazilian public and, in particular, to the Northeast, its extensive experience in sports betting, which places it in the leadership of the segment in Latin America”.
BP Sports was the intermediary in the negotiation between Ceará, Fortaleza and Betcris, and Bernardo Pontes, Partner at the company, concluded: “In a way, brands invest millions in clubs and don’t think about the importance of investing in activation.
“Betcris trusted BP Sports so that, from day one, we were able to act differently and effectively in these agreements. That’s why we launched it differently, highlighting the greatness of the company and the clubs. We still have many other activation ideas with the fans and that will be carried out in the coming months.”
