‘Fifa face years to rebuild reputation’

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has acknowledged that it will take “years to rebuild our reputation” following the World Cup bidding corruption investigation. But Valcke insisted that Sony and Emirates airline are not ending their Fifa sponsorships to protest against allegations of bribery and favour-seeking that have engulfed world football in the four years since Russia was awarded the 2018 World Cup and Qatar was voted the 2022 hosts. Emirates have already announced that they are not renewing their sponsorship and Valcke said he “would be surprised” if Sony extended their deal, which expires at the end of this year. “Both Sony and Emirates have nothing to do with the situation we are facing,” Valcke said, referring to the fallout from the bidding corruption report by prosecutor Michael Garcia. “I know that football is still a very strong product and I am not really concerned with Fifa’s finances for the future.”