While Fifa president Sep Blatter looks likely to have steered himself to a fourth term at the helm of the good ship football, there is growing disquiet amongst world football key sponsors following allegations of corruption in the association’s World Cup and even presidential selection processes. Despite Blatter’s claims that “I am the captain of this ship and we are weathering the storm” one by one the leading sponsors have been voicing their own views. With this in mind Tyres & Accessories asked World Cup 2014 sponsor Continental for its take on the situation.

The answer came in the form of an intricately worded statement that came out in clear support of football and the kind of sponsorship support the tyre and automotive manufacturer has invested heavily in up till now, but also hinted at the firm’s unhappiness with the current controversy. While Conti highlighted the fact that is has been “supporting professional soccer for more than 15 years with passion and engagement” the manufacturer also said it “cannot approve of anything that negatively affects the reputation of professional soccer, the World Cup 2014 or the characteristics of this sport.”