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UEFA signs Big Mac deal

Fast-food chain McDonald's has become the second company, after Carlsberg, to sponsor UEFA's Euro 2004 soccer championships in Portugal.

The deal, which will be extended to the Euro 2008 tournament - a venue for which is still to be decided, is McDonald's second football sponsorship agreement in one week.

On April 11, the burger chain become English Football Association's (FA) third commercial partner.

"McDonald's places much emphasis on team spirit and giving back to the community," Lennart Johansson, president of UEFA, said.

"They demonstrate this through sponsorship and grass roots activities at all levels of the European game and they are therefore the perfect long-term partner for UEFA."

McDonald’s has partnerships with more than 30 professional football clubs in England and Scotland, is a major sponsor of the Scottish Premier League, Irish Football League and internationally it is a leading sponsor of the Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup.