Adidas Supervisory Board Chair Igor Landau said that adidas "will continue sponsoring FIFA, despite the corruption allegations dogging the bidding process for the 2006 World Cup," according to the AFP. Landau told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, "If you want to sell sporting goods, you have to have a good relationship with the people in the clubs and the associations. That's part of our business. We regret what has happened at FIFA. But our conscience is clear." German football has been engulfed by claims that a €6.7M ($7.6M) payment to FIFA "was used to purchase the votes of four members of FIFA's executive committee in 2000." Landau said, "Adidas is not involved in any scandals at all. Our ties are clean. We've examined every single deal. Everything is totally solid." Asked whether adidas would remain sponsor for the next World Cup, Landau replied, "Of course. And the one after that. Our contract runs until 2030."
He said that adidas "also hoped to remain sponsor of the German national team." Landau: "The negotiations are currently underway" (AFP, 5/16).
