With FIFA officials in cuffs and the blood of more than 1,400 migrant workers on the football federation's hands, will brands distance themselves from the mounting atrocities or ride the storm?
It would seem some of your favorite brands are indirectly backing a criminal conspiracy currently tarnishing the beautiful game. With FIFA officials in cuffs and the blood of more than 1,400 migrant workers on the football federation’s hands, will the growing anti-FIFA sentiment force brands to cut ties?
Alongside the problems at the top of FIFA’s hierarchy, activists have also been creating “anti-logos” to shame corporations for backing the 2022 Qatar World Cup over the country’s human rights record.
It’s currently estimated that more than 1,400 migrant workers have died during the construction of Qatar’s World Cup infrastructure, with a Guardian investigation last year revealing that Nepalese migrant workers were dying at a rate of one every two days.
FIFA’s current bout of bad press could spell a mass advertising exodus from the game. However, with official brand affiliation meaning less and less in the age of social media, will brands opt to ride the latest corruption storm and hope their connection with the game is stronger than their connection to its governing body?
“This is now at the point where the sponsors have to take action or their image is going to get tarnished,” said Darren Marshall, exec VP of consulting and research at Revolution, a Chicago-based sports marketing agency.
“This is massive illegality at the highest levels of the organisation and the sponsors have to vote with their feet,” he added.
“What they need to do is say, ‘Unless there is regime change at FIFA, we are going to leave.’ “
Fast food chain McDonald’s said in a statement: “McDonald’s takes matters of ethics and corruption very seriously, and the news from the US Department of Justice is extremely concerning.
“We are in contact with FIFA on this matter. We will continue to monitor the situation very closely.”
Other sponsors have issued mirror-like statements echoing the same cautious sentiment.
Visa issued the strongest statement: “As a sponsor, we expect FIFA to take swift and immediate steps to address these issues within its organisation.
“This starts with rebuilding a culture with strong ethical practices in order to restore the reputation of the games for fans everywhere.”
Can the house of football rebuild itself in time to appease its sponsors? Time will tell.
Take a look at some of the anti-ads, which have adapted major sponsors logos to reflect the growing concerns over the human death toll in Qatar.
Coca Cola
McDonald’s
Visa
Sony
Adidas
Looks like Visa is already threatening to. As David Bernstein said on BBC News this morning, Blatter is either complicit or negligent. Either way it’s bad for the game and so he must go