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UniCredit becomes the third sponsor to sign up on a three year deal, following Heineken and Sony.

MasterCard, which is midway through the final year of its deal, is currently the sole finance sponsor of the tournament. The payment service provider says it is still in negotiations with UEFA regarding the extension of its existing deal, which dates back to 1994. 

MasterCard is also a sponsor of the UEFA European Championships. It is midway through its final season as a Champions League sponsor.

It is not known whether other UEFA Champions League sponsors, Sony PlayStation, Ford and Vodafone will commit to the next sponsorship cycle.

It is understood that the tender process for the contract ran from April to May 2008 with both banking and financial-service providers bidding for the sponsorship.

UniCredit, Europe's third-biggest bank, has an existing relationship with UEFA via its Bank Austria brand.