FIFA financial backers Adidas & Kia hold out on calling for Sepp Blatter’s immediate exit
Sports giant Adidas and car marque Kia have refrained from joining fellow Fifa sponsors in what appears to be an orchestrated call for the immediate exit of its sitting president Sepp Blatter by some of the sports body’s major financial backers.
Adidas refused to be drawn into public criticism of Blatter, who is currently facing heavy scrutiny over corruption allegations, amid growing calls for a more rapid reform of how Fifa operates.
Responding to media requests the sports brand, which has been involved in an official capacity for every Fifa World Cup Finals tournament since 1979, opted to issue a statement reading: "The initiated reform process must continue quickly and transparently."
Similarly, South Korea-based car marque Kia (whose Hyundai brand has been linked with the world's top footballing tournament since the 1990s) declined to comment on its Fifa sponsorship status.
Speculation came to a head this week following the confirmation that the Fifa president, who is scheduled to leave office after an extraordinary election called for February, is now facing criminal investigation from authorities in Switzerland, over charges of financial misappropriation.
This led to four of the sports body’s largest financial backers, including Budweiser, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Visa, to call for his immediate exit from the role, although he has since publicly claimed that he “respectfully disagrees”.
A statement issued on Blatter’s behalf reads: “He believes firmly that his leaving office now would not be in the best interest of FIFA nor would it advance the process of reform and therefore, he will not resign.”