Sony won't renew FIFA sponsorship contract
Decision comes amid growing concern over corruption.
PlayStation maker Sony will not renew its sponsorship of football world governing body FIFA amid growing concern over corruption, according to multiple reports.
Sony has sponsored a raft of FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, as part of an eight year deal worth £222m, but reports indicate it has decided to cut all ties with the embattled organisation when the contract expires on 31st December 2014.
According to Nikkei, the company prefers to spend its money on "completing structural reforms" this fiscal year, a comment that makes a degree of sense given Sony's current dire financial state, but the decision follows a number of damaging reports about corruption within FIFA and growing pressure on its sponsors to speak out.
FIFA has already lost Emirates Airline as a headline sponsor, and Coca-Cola said it was disappointed with the way the group handled a report into the bidding processes for the upcoming World Cups in Qatar and Russia.
A FIFA spokesperson told The Telegraph: "The existing contract with Sony runs until 31 December 2014 and we are currently in discussions with the brand."
