FIFA Cab's Masked Chevy Logo Shows Pressure Put On Protecting Sponsors

When FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke arrived at the new stadium in Manaus, Brazil, to promote a program that taught the World Cup city’s taxi drivers English, "his cab was decorated with black tape," according to Tariq Panja of BLOOMBERG. Valcke was riding in a Chevrolet, while the World Cup’s automobile sponsor is Hyundai. A local official "covered all the logos with tape, even though there was no contractual reason for doing so." Spokesperson Rafael Maranhao, who works with the local organizing committee in Rio de Janeiro, said "he did it." Maranhao: “I was basically taking a precaution. It turns out there was no rules.” The incident "highlights the pressure to protect the rights of sponsors" who last year paid FIFA about $350M for World Cup-related sponsorships. Consultant Patrick Nally, who brokered Coca-Cola’s first deal with FIFA in '76, said, “Taping up a car because it’s not a Hyundai is a classic example of what is bad in terms of sponsoring in the first place” (BLOOMBERG, 2/26).