DUBAI - Arabstoday
Emirates airline has become the latest corporate sponsor of Fifa to express concern about the corruption scandal within football’s world government body. “Emirates, like all football fans around the world, is disappointed with the issues that are currently surrounding the administration of this sport," Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, said on Tuesday. Global brands Coca Cola and Adidas have also voiced their concern at the current situation after Fifa executives Mohammad Bin Hammam and Jack Warner were suspended on Sunday over bribery allegations in Bin Hammam’s now-abandoned presidential bid. “Emirates’ sponsorship of all Fifa Tournaments, including the Fifa World Cup, aims to help promote football and ensure that it is accessible to the billions of football fans; something Fifa has managed to do extremely well in recent years. We hope that these issues will be resolved as soon as possible and the outcome will be in the interest of the game and sport in general,” Boutros added. The English Football Association called on Tuesday for Fifa’s presidential election to be postponed following the corruption allegations. Current Fifa President Sepp Blatter is the only candidate in the running after Bin Hammam’s withdrawal.