April 12 – After struggling to find fresh commercial sponsors in the wake of the corruption probe that brought the organisation to its knees, Fifa is set to seal a major partnership with Qatar Airways within weeks, agency reports have quoted unnamed sources as saying.
“We hope to confirm it in the next few months, perhaps before the congress in Bahrain (May 10-11),” one source close to FIFA told AFP.
Apparently a previous deal with the airline was negotiated during the latter part of Sepp Blatter’s reign after the 2022 World Cup was awarded to Qatar but was never formalised.
If true, the new arrangement could not come at a better time. Sony and Emirates both quit as top-level after the 2014 World Cup and were not immediately replaced and only a few days ago football’s corruption-tainted world governing body announced a $369 million loss.
Last week, FIFA confirmed that China’s Hisense, a white goods and electronics company based in the east-coast city of Qingdao, had put its name to the 2017 Confederations Cup and 2018 World Cup as an official sponsor.
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