Visa says it may re-evaluate its FIFA sponsorship in light of the corruption indictments in the United States that have hit soccer's governing body.
The credit card company, which has been a FIFA sponsor since 1988, released the following statement Wednesday:
MORE: Timeline of Wednesday events | Time to right FIFA's Qatar mistake | Is Nike involved in scandal? | Informant had condo for cats
Our disappointment and concern with FIFA in light of today’s developments is profound. As a sponsor, we expect FIFA to take swift and immediate steps to address these issues within its organization. This starts with rebuilding a culture with strong ethical practices in order to restore the reputation of the games for fans everywhere.
Visa became a sponsor of FIFA because the World Cup is one of the few truly global sporting events with the power to unite people from around the world through a common love of football. Our sponsorship has always focused on supporting the teams, enabling a great fan experience, and inspiring communities to come together and celebrate the spirit of competition and personal achievement – and it is important that FIFA makes changes now, so that the focus remain on these going forward. Should FIFA fail to do so, we have informed them that we will reassess our sponsorship.
Fourteen people were indicted on charges that included wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering spanning the last two decades. Nine of the 14 are FIFA officials, seven of whom have been arrested. FIFA president Sepp Blatter has not been charged.