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Coca-Cola and McDonald's call for FIFA President Sepp Blatter to resign immediately
(Ruben Sprich/Reuters)
FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
After it was announced last week that FIFA President Sepp Blatter would face criminal charges for "criminal mismanagement" and "misappropriation," Coca-Cola and McDonald's are the first of FIFA's sponsors to call for Blatter's immediate resignation.
Coca-Cola said in a statement: "Every day that passes, the image and reputation of FIFA continues to tarnish. FIFA needs comprehensive and urgent reform, and that can only be accomplished through a truly independent approach."
It was later announced that McDonald's is joining Coca-Cola's push:
BREAKING: McDonald's $MCD joins Coca-Cola $KO is calling for immediate resignation of FIFA chief Sepp Blatter
— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) October 2, 2015
AB InBev, Adidas, and Visa have also all joined the movement of encouraging Blatter to leave sooner than later, according to The Wall Street Journal.
While Blatter announced his resignation in June, a reelection for president isn't expected to take place until February.
Coca-Cola called for a "truly independent approach" in finding new leadership in order to "win back the trust of all who love the sport."
While FIFA's other sponsors haven't spoken up for Blatter's immediate resignation, they haven't done well finding new business. Following the FIFA corruption scandal — which led to the call for Blatter's resignation when he was elected president for a fifth straight term — it was reported in July that FIFA hasn't signed any new 2018 World Cup sponsors since the scandal broke.
Blatter and FIFA responded to the demands with a statement:
Blatter: I won't resign. Full statement: pic.twitter.com/BCm3YJlx5o
— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) October 2, 2015
We have reached out to FIFA for comment.
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