FIFA's Blatter: Football is not in a crisis

As sponsor pressure mounts, Fifa president Sepp Blatter insisted in a news conference (below) that there's no crisis, but rather some difficulties that will be solved. The press conference came as pressure grows over ethics concerns within the organization, amid a new allegation that the bidding process that rewarded Qatar with the 2022 World Cup was corrupt. The allegation is the latest in a year full of scandals that have plagued FIFA.

Sponsors have been outspoken at their disappointment over the latest scandal. Here's a collection of some of their recent responses:

"Emirates, like all football fans around the world, is disappointed with the issues that are currently surrounding the administration of the sport," -- Boutros Boutros, Emirates' divisional senior vice president for corporate communications. (Reuters)

“What I certainly see is that it has certainly woken a few people up and it puts us always on the edge of our chairs to ensure that when we do these partnerships we look at the whole package." -- Paul Meulendijk, Head of Sponsorship at MasterCard Europe (Bloomberg)

“The current allegations being raised are distressing and bad for the sport. We have every expectation that FIFA will resolve this situation in an expedient and thorough manner” -- Coca-Cola Spokesperson (Washington Post)

“The negative tenor of public debates is neither good for the sport of football nor for FIFA as an institution and its partners.” -- Adidas Spokesperson (Bloomberg)

"The current situation is clearly not good for the game and we ask that FIFA take all necessary steps to resolve the concerns that have been raised." -- Visa Spokesperson (Sports Illustrated)

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