Sony, Adidas and Visa, who make up half of Fifa’s main sponsors, all released statements over the weekend voicing concerns about Qatar 2022, which is at the centre of allegations about secret payments and trade deals to help the tiny Gulf state win the right to host the tournament.

In a strongly worded statement, Adidas said: “The negative tenor of the public debate around Fifa at the moment is neither good for football nor for Fifa and its partners.”

Sony, whose World Cup sponsorship runs up to and includes this summer’s tournament in Brazil, said: “As a Fifa partner, we expect these allegations to be investigated appropriately.”

Visa said it expected Fifa to take “appropriate actions”, adding: “Our expectation remains that all of our partners maintain strong ethical standards and operate with transparency.”
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