UAE Exchange has agreed a five-year sponsorship deal with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the governing body of soccer in Asia and Australia, reports, www.sportspromedia.com/.

The financial services company will be the official sponsor of more than 200 games, covering matches from the Asian World Cup qualifiers, AFC U-19 Championship 2018, AFC U-16 Championship 2018, AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 and AFC Futsal Championship 2020.

In addition, the UAE Exchange logo will be displayed on the backdrop at all AFC official occasions, including press conferences and award ceremonies.

"It is our belief that sports is a binding force," said Gopakumar Bhargavan, chief marketing officer of UAE Exchange. "We chose to partner with AFC because football is right up there when it comes to a worldwide fan following and emotional attachments.

"We see this sponsorship fit in with our strategic plans to connect and engage with our customers on a much larger platform, while reaching out to football-loving audiences regionally and worldwide."