Visa, Coke, Bud Turn Up Heat on FIFA, Demand Transparency

Representatives from five major World Cup sponsors put the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) on notice that they expect widespread reform and transparency after a bribery scandal unearthed earlier this year rocked the organization.

Adidas, Budweiser, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Visa requested a closed-door meeting with a number of FIFA’s leaders and demanded ethical reform from the association. NBC Sports reported that Gazprom and Hyundai, both with upcoming World Cup commitments, did not show up for Thursday’s meeting.

Sepp Blatter resigned in July after 17-years as FIFA’s president amid huge pressure from influential leaders across the game, corporate sponsors, Swiss authorities, and the U.S. Department of Justice.  Blatter’s right hand man and FIFA’s secretary general, Jerome Valcke, allegedly accepted a $10 million payment from the South African Football Association as a bribe to host the 2010 World Cup.

The payment remains a small part of a larger scandal crippling FIFA, where 18 officials have been indicted on corruption charges.

FIFA will hold another presidential election to replace Blatter on Feb. 26, 2016, the second in ten months.