Frankfurt, July 28: Sponsors were unusually vocal after the latest accusations of corruption at FIFA, the organiser of the World Cup, surfaced just before the soccer tournament began in June.
Sony, the electronics and entertainment giant, called for an investigation of possible irregularities in choosing a site for the 2022 World Cup. Adidas, the German sportswear manufacturer, warned that ?the negative tenor of the public debate around FIFA at the moment is neither good for football nor for FIFA and its partners.? Their sentiments were echoed by others, including Coca-Cola, Visa, Hyundai and Budweiser.
But now that the matches in Brazil are over, it is unlikely that sponsors will pound their fists and demand
reforms.
FIFA?s corporate partners have a long history of enduring serial FIFA controversies in silence, and that is unlikely to change. There is just too much money at stake.
?These sponsorships don?t come cheap,? said Simon Chadwick, a professor of sports business strategy at Coventry University Business School in Britain. He estimated that companies spend up to $100 million for sponsorship rights and a similar sum on related advertising and merchandising. ?The last thing you are going to do is say things that are going to undermine this multimillion-dollar investment.?
It was unusual for sponsors to say anything at all when, in the months before World Cup play began in Brazil, longstanding accusations resurfaced that bribes had influenced the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. The country was seen as an odd choice for a soccer tournament because of its scorching summer heat and dearth of world-class players.