The next FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 14, 2018, in Russia and "still two thirds of the sponsorship slots remain unsold," according to Steve Menary of THE NATIONAL. As FIFA was "convulsed by corruption and scandal in the past couple of years," advertisers walked away. Finding replacements "has not been easy." At this stage in the commercial cycle for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, most sponsors were in place but "so far only 10 of up to 34 deals for next year’s finals in Russia have been confirmed." Havas Sports & Entertainment Cake COO Adrian Pettett described the bad news that has "dogged" FIFA as "damaging but by no means fatal." He said, "Doubtless some existing FIFA sponsors will have used the bad publicity as a reason to exit their deals or not renew. Others will have looked at the venues for 2018 and 2022 -- Russia and Qatar -- and pondered their ability to activate effectively in those markets and gain a return on the considerable investment. This has left space for new entrants, of which there will be plenty." If there are "plenty" of new sponsors, they are "so far wary of committing to a deal." FIFA signed six out of eight top-tier partners but adidas, Coca Cola, Gazprom, Hyundai Kia Motors and Visa are existing sponsors; only Chinese conglomerate Wanda is new. FIFA said that the only regional sponsor is Russia's Alfa-Bank, out of a category of up to 20 sponsors. A FIFA spokesperson said, "The sales process is ongoing and new commercial affiliates will join the marketing program before the 2018 FIFA World Cup" (THE NATIONAL, 4/18).
