World Cup sponsor Adidas said it is concerned about allegations of corruption at FIFA.
The World Cup ball provider spoke out following renewed claims of financial wrongdoing linked to Qatari former FIFA board member Mohamed bin Hammam and his country's successful 2022 World Cup hosting bid. FIFA's ethics committee is investigating the 2018-2022 hosting contests. It is being led by its chief investigator Michael Garcia, the former U.S. attorney who is to make his findings public in mid-July through FIFA's new adjudicatory chamber.
Adidas' statement to the media read: “Adidas enjoys a long-term and successful partnership with FIFA that we are looking forward to continue. Having said that, the negative tenor of the public debate around FIFA at the moment is neither good for football nor for FIFA and its partners.”
It added, “As a FIFA partner, we expect these allegations to be investigated appropriately. We continue to expect FIFA to adhere to its principles of integrity, ethics and fair play across all aspects of its operations. A report is due to be submitted to the adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee, with findings then released publicly in due course. We are confident that the matter is being dealt with as a priority.”
Sony Visa and Coca-Cola have also issued statements of concern around the developments.
