????巴西舉辦的2014年世界杯眼看就要開幕了，關于國際足球界領導機構——國際足聯（Fifa）腐敗的指控，越來越讓這個機構的資金贊助商們頭痛不已。

????國際足聯的6家官方“合作伙伴”中，已有5家公開對連篇累牘且日益具體的指控表示擔憂。據報道，卡塔爾足協為了取得2022年世界杯的舉辦權大肆行賄，對此事報道最多的，是英國的《星期日泰晤士報》（ Sunday Times）。

????總部位于蘇黎世的國際足聯已暫停對于此事的內部調查，準備等到本屆世界杯結束后再繼續。此舉旨在使國際媒體的注意力集中在世界杯本身上。

????由于本周一是瑞士的公共假期，因此無法聯系到國際足聯對此發表評論。不過，路透社（Reuters）報道稱，國際足聯主席賽普?布拉特后來向記者駁斥了相關指控。

????據路透社報道，布拉特說：“卡塔爾取得世界杯舉辦權一事引發了反對國際足聯的聲浪。可悲的是，這反映出嚴重的歧視和種族主義，令我痛心不已。”布拉特并未透露他說的是誰。

????《星期日泰晤士報》最近的指控只要被看成是英國足協因為吃不到葡萄就說葡萄酸，那就毫無分量。畢竟，英國足協也曾申辦過2022年世界杯。

????但是，隨著世界各地的媒體紛紛援引《星期日泰晤士報》日益詳盡的披露，國際足聯的贊助商們開始擔心與這個機構扯上關系。國際足聯原定將獲得約40億美元的比賽轉播權和贊助權費用。

????首先發難的是索尼（Sony ）。它上周日表示：“我們希望這些指控得到充分調查，并希望國際足聯在各方面都堅持誠信、道德和公平競賽的原則。”

????德國體育用品巨頭阿迪達斯（Adidas AG）隨后也發布聲明稱：“眼下關于國際足聯的種種負面消息不僅對足球運動無益，對國際足聯及其合作伙伴也無益。”盡管這家公司也表示，“相信該問題正作為首要任務得到處理。”

????卡片支付公司維薩（Visa）發表了類似評論，而可口可樂（Coca Cola Inc.）則表示：“任何有損國際足聯世界杯使命和理想的問題，都令我們擔憂。”

????國際足聯的“合作伙伴”是它的長期核心贊助商，也是它的大金主。另外，國際足聯還有針對特定活動的贊助商以及全國性的‘支持者’。它的伙伴關系合同往往期限相當長，反映了這種合作關系帶來的宣傳價值。阿迪達斯與國際足聯的合同要一直到2030年，而韓國汽車制造商現代/起亞汽車（Hyundai/Kia Motors）與國際足聯的合同也要一直到2022年。

????現代/起亞周一表示：“我們有信心，國際足聯正認真對待這些指控，國際足聯道德委員會偵查庭將徹底調查此事。”（財富中文網）

????譯者：項航

????Allegations of corruption at Fifa, the organisation that runs world soccer, are giving its financial sponsors increasing headaches, with only three days to go before the start of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

????All but one of the half-dozen official ‘partners’ of Fifa have now voiced public concern about the repeated and increasingly detailed allegations, most notably by the UK’s Sunday Times, that the Qatar football federation practised bribery on a huge scale to win the right to host the 2022 World Cup.

????Zurich-based Fifa has suspended its own internal inquiry into the matter until after the tournament in an effort to keep international media attention concentrated on its showcase event.

????It was unavailable for comment Monday due to a public holiday in Switzerland. However, Reuters reported its President Sepp Blatter later as rebutting the allegations in remarks to reporters.

????“Once again there is a sort of storm against Fifa relating to the Qatar World Cup,” Reuters reported Blatter as saying, without identifying who he was talking about. “Sadly there’s a great deal of discrimination and racism and this hurts me.”

????The Sunday Times’ latest allegations had carried little weight as long as they were perceived as being fed by sour grapes from the English Football Association, which had also bid to host the 2022 tournament.

????But with media around the world now picking up on its increasingly detailed revelations, the organisation’s backers are starting to fret at being associated with it. Fifa is set to receive some $4 billion in broadcasting and sponsorship rights for the tournament.

????Sony SNE 1.24% was the first to break ranks on Sunday, saying that “we expect these allegations to be investigated appropriately, and that we continue to expect FIFA to adhere to its principles of integrity, ethics and fair play across all aspects of its operations.”

????It was followed by German sportswear giant Adidas AG ADDYY 0.46% which said in a statement that: “the negative tenor of the public debate around Fifa at the moment is neither good for football nor for Fifa and its partners,” although it said it was “confident that the matter is being dealt with as a priority.”

????Card payments firm Visa V -0.20% issued a similar comment, while Coca Cola Inc. KO -0.20% said that “Anything that detracts from the mission and ideals of the Fifa World Cup is a concern to us.”

????Fifa’s ‘Partners’ are its long-term, core backers who contribute the most to its coffers. They are followed by event-specific sponsors and its national ‘supporters’. The partnerships tend to run for extremely long terms, reflecting the value of the publicity that they bring. Adidas’ contract with Fifa runs through 2030, while that of Korean carmaker Hyundai/Kia Motors, for example, runs through 2022.

????“We are confident that FIFA is taking these allegations seriously and that the Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee will conduct a thorough investigation,” Hyundai/Kia HYMTF 5.00% said Monday.