Three sponsors have told FIFA that they do not intend to renew their contracts with the scandal-hit world governing body.
Castrol, Continental Tyres and Johnson & Johnson have confirmed they have not renewed their deals. They are in addition to Sony and Emirates who revealed last year they were terminating their agreements with FIFA.
All three confirmed to the Daily Telegraph they had decided not to renew their contracts for a variety of reasons.
None of the five in question has cited recent scandals as the reason to end their association with football’s governing body, although the timing of their departure will intensify speculation about the toxicity of the FIFA brand.
Four of the five brands had long-term deals with FIFA, with Emirates and Continental’s involvement going back a decade and that of Sony and Castrol starting before the 2010 tournament.
Confirmation of the sponsors withdrawal comes in the wake of the launch of New Fifa Now, a lobby group fronted by Conservative MP Damian Collins, aimed at bringing greater transparency to FIFA.
“FIFA is a toxic brand. I think that’s why companies who care about their reputation don’t want to be associated with [it],” he said.
“That means they in turn must feel their customers, who would include football fans around the world, don’t want them to be associated with FIFA either.
“So I would call on all FIFA sponsors to reconsider their association with Fifa and call on football fans and the customers of those brands to speak out against them continuing any sponsorship association as well.”
FIFA’s top-tier sponsors pay between $24m and $44m a year, while second-tier World Cup sponsors pay an estimated $10m to $25m a year.
It’s not all doom and gloom for FIFA though. As some sponsors depart, others are willing to renew their contracts, and it has secured Russian energy corporation Gazprom as an official partner for the next World Cup in Russia.
