FIFA is "having trouble finding companies willing to be a partner" for the World Cup ahead of its June start, according to Tariq Panja of the N.Y. TIMES. The tournament’s roster of sponsors "remains noticeably undersubscribed -- a reflection of how much the reputational damage" from a much-publicized '15 corruption crisis "continues to hurt FIFA’s bottom line." This year, while FIFA has "refilled its ranks of top-tier partners with firms in Russia, Qatar and China, only one of the 20 slots available to regional tournament sponsors has been claimed." There has not been a "new partner based" in either Europe or the U.S. since '11. Since Gianni Infantino became FIFA President in '16, the organization has "managed to secure marquee deals only with companies in countries set to host the World Cup (Russia and Qatar) and another (China) that hopes to do so." In the aftermath of the arrests of key FIFA officials in May '15, a "handful of companies allowed their partnership agreements to end and several of the organization’s longest-serving sponsors -- including Visa, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Anheuser-Busch InBev -- took the rare step of speaking out against soccer’s governing body and its leadership." But none "withdrew from a sponsorship agreement." Deals with Chinese companies like the Wanda Group, Hisense and Vivo, and an agreement with Qatar Airways have "helped cover for the loss of partners like Sony and the Emirates airline." But an "apparent lack of interest among Russian businesses is hurting FIFA." Currently there are "only two sponsors" from Russia. By the time the '14 tournament in Brazil kicked off, "no fewer than eight local companies had signed on." Former Synergy CEO Tim Crow said, “If you are going to do a big deal and want to activate, it’s really late" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/28).
