Qatar World Cup sponsors Adidas, Budweiser and McDonald’s speak out after Fifa corruption raid
The leading sponsors of the next two World Cup competitions have issued statements after a number of Fifa’s top executives were arrested for accepted bribes and kickbacks.
Following the creative community issuing ads mocking the brands’ compliance with alleged slavery practices in Qatar during the construction of the 2022 stadiums, Adidas, Budweiser and McDonald’s have issued statements indicating they are watching the situation closely.
Adidas told Business Insider: “The Adidas Group is fully committed to creating a culture that promotes the highest standards of ethics and compliance, and we expect the same from our partners.
"Following today’s news, we can therefore only encourage Fifa to continue to establish and follow transparent compliance standards in everything they do.
“Adidas is the world’s leading football brand and we will continue to support football on all levels.”
Meanwhile, Budweiser told Reuters: “We expect all of our partners to maintain strong ethical standards and operate with transparency."
And finally, McDonald’s also commented on the situation: “McDonald's takes matters of ethics and corruption very seriously and the news from the US Department of Justice is extremely concerning. We are in contact with FIFA on this matter. We will continue to monitor the situation very closely."
Fifa will likely be on thin ice, after brands Castrol, Johnson & Johnson and Continental all called time on their association with the organisation in January.