Sony Corporation has signed a 305 million dollar deal to become a sponsor of FIFA from 2007 to 2014, soccer's world governing body announced on Tuesday.

The deal is the first global sponsorship agreement entered into by the Japanese electronics, entertainment and technology group and they will join Adidas and Hyundai and three as yet unnamed companies as "FIFA partners".

"I am delighted and very proud that Sony has chosen FIFA and football for this momentous deal which creates a true partnership with many opportunities for taking the relationship far beyond a classical sponsorship," FIFA president Sepp Blatter said in a statement.

Sony chairman Nobuyuki Idei said: "FIFA has a spectacular reach around the world through the universal language of football and it is this unique attribute that convinced us to commit to this global sponsorship deal.

"This is an ideal opportunity for us to leverage the powerful assets of the Sony Group."

Under the terms of the deal, Sony will have "core sponsorship rights" to all FIFA competitions over the seven years, most notably the World Cups of 2010, which will take place in South Africa, and 2014.

Sony will also advise FIFA in the development of broadcast equipment, the statement said.

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