World Cup sponsors demonstrated various levels of caution in responses Wednesday to the Department of Justice’s indictment of nine FIFA officials on corruption charges.
They did not threaten to drop their deals but Visa, the most indignant, said that it “will reassess our sponsorship” if FIFA does not change its ways.
The sponsors did not criticize any of the individuals indicted. They did not mention Sepp Blatter, the powerful president of FIFA, who was not charged. Instead, they focused largely on broad, nonspecific concerns about ethics and the allegations with little elaboration.
But Visa’s statement stood out among those sponsors who said anything.