Here’s what FIFA’s corporate partners are saying about the scandal

Editor's note: This article will be updated as FIFA's corporate partners and sponsors release statements. It was most recently updated on June 2, 2015.

When times get tough, you lean on your friends.

FIFA's best friends are multinational corporations, and theirs is a friendship rooted in helping one another make lots and lots of money.

So what are FIFA's corporate partners and World Cup sponsors saying now that FIFA's newly re-elected president Sepp Blatter has stepped down and the US Justice Department has indicted 14 people, nine current and former FIFA officials and five sports marketing executives, on charges of racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering?

Their responses were measured on the indictments, quiet on Blatter's re-election, and welcoming of his resignation. It's the right approach, considering the alleged corruption seems so metastatic and high-level that you've got to wonder how many places it touches.

(ALL-CAPS DISCLAIMER: GLOBALPOST IS NOT ACCUSING FIFA PARTNERS AND SPONSORS OF HAVING KNOWLEDGE OF OR PARTICIPATING IN ILLEGAL ACTIVITY.)

Just listen to Kelly T. Currie, acting United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, whose words might be enough to send many a corporate legal department into a tizzy.

“This is the beginning of our effort, not the end," she said. “We are looking into individuals and entities in a variety of countries." That includes financial institutions, 25 currently unnamed co-conspirators, and who knows what else.

More from GlobalPost: United States welcomed as liberators by soccer fans around the world

Until recently, Coca-Cola, Visa, Adidas et al. probably thought the biggest threat to their FIFA-affiliated profits were human rights concerns surrounding the upcoming World Cups in Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022). Nope.

Here's what FIFA's corporate BFFs are saying about the indictments and about Blatter's choice to resign:

1. Adidas

The German sportswear company wrote in an email to Business Insider:

The Adidas Group is fully committed to creating a culture that promotes the highest standards of ethics and compliance, and we expect the same from our partners. Following today’s news, we can therefore only encourage FIFA to continue to establish and follow transparent compliance standards in everything they do.

Adidas is the world’s leading football brand and we will continue to support football on all levels.

Adidas released the following statement after Blatter announced his resignation:

We welcome FIFA's commitment to change. As stated before, the adidas Group is fully committed to creating a culture that promotes the highest standards of ethics and compliance. Today's news marks a step in the right direction on FIFA's path to establish and follow transparent compliance standards in everything they do.

2. Coca-Cola

Coke said this about the indictments:

This lengthy controversy has tarnished the mission and ideals of the FIFA World Cup and we have repeatedly expressed our concerns about these serious allegations. FIFA has stated that it is responding to all requests for information and we are confident it will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities.

And it welcomed Sepp Blatter's decision as a "positive step."

The announcement today is a positive step for the good of sport, football and its fans. Our expectation remains that FIFA will continue to act with urgency to take concrete actions to fully address all of the issues that have been raised and win back the trust of all who love the sport of football. We believe this decision will help FIFA transform itself rapidly into a much-needed 21st century structure and institution.

3. Visa

Visa took longer than Adidas and Coca-Cola to comment. Maybe that's because it took some time to write this strongly worded demand for reform — or else.

Our disappointment and concern with FIFA in light of today’s developments is profound. As a sponsor, we expect FIFA to take swift and immediate steps to address these issues within its organization. This starts with rebuilding a culture with strong ethical practices in order to restore the reputation of the games for fans everywhere.

Visa became a sponsor of FIFA because the World Cup is one of the few truly global sporting events with the power to unite people from around the world through a common love of football. Our sponsorship has always focused on supporting the teams, enabling a great fan experience, and inspiring communities to come together and celebrate the spirit of competition and personal achievement – and it is important that FIFA makes changes now, so that the focus remain on these going forward. Should FIFA fail to do so, we have informed them that we will reassess our sponsorship.

Like Adidas and Coca-Cola, Visa welcomed Blatter's news, saying it was "encouraged by the recognition by FIFA that extensive and fundamental reform is needed," but noted that “more work lies ahead.”

Transparency, integrity and fair play must be the hallmarks of the new administration and Visa stands ready to work with FIFA towards these principles,” the company said in a statement. “We repeat, however, that it is our expectation that FIFA will take swift and immediate steps towards addressing the issues within its organization to quickly rebuild a culture with strong ethical practices.

4. Hyundai/Kia Motors

Hyundai, which owns Kia, says:

As a company that places the highest priority on ethical standards and transparency, Hyundai Motor is extremely concerned about the legal proceedings being taken against certain FIFA executives and will continue to monitor the situation closely.

5. McDonald's

A spokesperson told Bloomberg News that McDonald's “takes matters of ethics and corruption very seriously and the news from the US Department of Justice is extremely concerning.” 

And on Blatter: 

The allegations of corruption and questionable ethics within FIFA have overshadowed the game and taken away from the sport, players and fans. We're hopeful that the changes being implemented within FIFA will be a big first step in positively reforming the organization and gaining back trust from fans worldwide.

6. Budweiser/AB InBev

"We expect all of our partners to maintain strong ethical standards and operate with transparency," AFP quoted a Budweiser spokesperson as saying about the indictments.

After Blatter's resignation, the beverage giant said, "We expect today's announcement to accelerate FIFA's efforts to resolve internal issues, install positive change and adhere to the highest ethical standards and transparency."

7. Gazprom

Russia's state-owned oil and gas giant went in another direction.

"There is no concrete accusation against us," a spokesperson told AFP.

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