Emirates Airline "will not renew its World Cup sponsorship with FIFA" for the '18 and '22 tournaments, set to be held in Russia and Qatar, respectively, according to the AP. The airline in a statement said the move comes after "an evaluation of FIFA's contract proposal which did not meet Emirates' expectations." Emirates had been the organization's airline partner for the last three World Cups, dating back to '06. FIFA "typically retains six top-tier commercial partners signing up for at least two World Cups" (AP, 11/3). ARABIAN BUSINESS cites German-language news magazine Der Spiegel last week as speculating that Qatar Airways "would likely replace" Emirates as a FIFA sponsor. While Emirates "did not specify the exact reason for ending its sponsorship deal ... this summer FIFA sponsors Coca-Cola, Adidas, Sony and Visa issued a statement expressing their concerns regarding allegations of bribery" around the hosting of the next two World Cups. The "signs of unease" from FIFA sponsors "will raise pressure on the body ... to get to the bottom of the allegations and tackle underlying concerns about how it is run" (ARABIANBUSINESS.com, 11/3). Meanwhile, FIFA yesterday confirmed another Der Spiegel report that Sony "may also quit" its sponsorship. FIFA in a statement said, "We are in ongoing talks with Sony" (BDLIVE.co.za, 11/2). See the full sports business portfolio for FIFA at Resource Guide LIVE.
