Global sportswear giant Adidas have opted not to join several fellow major FIFA sponsors in calling for Sepp Blatter to speed up his planned departure from the presidency.
American companies Visa, Coca-Cola, McDonalds and Budweiser on Friday issued what appeared to be co-ordinated statements demanding the Swiss accelerate his planned exit, which is not scheduled to take place until after the next FIFA congress, due to held in February.
South Korean car manufacturer Kia and Russian energy company Gazprom have not sought in recent weeks to publicly apply pressure to Blatter, who is under intense pressure following the corruption scandal that has engulfed world football's governing body in the wake of arrests of FIFA officials by Swiss authorities in May.
When questioned on their latest position regarding FIFA's leadership, German firm Adidas, a long-term partner of the organisation, reiterated their desire for positive action to take place, but stopped short of echoing specific calls for Blatter to depart early.
"As pointed out several times already, FIFA must implement fundamental changes for the sake of football," Adidas told Omnisport in a statement.
"Therefore, the initiated reform process must continue quickly and transparently."
News last week that Swiss prosecutors had launched a direct investigation into Blatter himself, with UEFA president Michel Platini also involved, has seen the pressure increase yet again on FIFA's leadership, but there is still little indication of who will succeed the 79-year-old.
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