Blatter expected to win re-election despite soccer corruption scandal

INVESTIGATIONS WIDEN

Nine soccer officials and five sports media and promotions executives have been charged by U.S. prosecutors with corruption the authorities said involved more than $150 million in bribes.

Swiss authorities also announced a criminal investigation into the awarding of the next two World Cup tournaments, which are being hosted in Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022.

Both countries deny any suggestion of wrongdoing over their bids to host one of the world's top sporting events, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of meddling in an effort to prevent the re-election of Blatter.

Adding to the pressure on FIFA and Blatter, there are growing concerns from major sponsors, many of whom have solidly backed the organisation despite nearly 20 years of bribery and corruption allegations.

German sportswear company Adidas said FIFA should do more to establish transparent compliance standards. Anheuser-Busch InBev, whose Budweiser brand is a sponsor of the 2018 World Cup, said it was closely monitoring developments.

Credit card company Visa Inc urged immediate reforms.

"It is important that FIFA makes changes now so that the focus remain on these going forward. Should FIFA fail to do so, we have informed them that we will reassess our sponsorship," it said in a strongly worded statement.

Coca-Cola Co, another sponsor, said the charges had "tarnished the mission and ideals of the FIFA World Cup and we have repeatedly expressed our concerns about these serious allegations".

The corruption scandal is unlikely to go away soon, as investigations into wrongdoing widen.

A judge in Argentina ordered the arrest of three businessmen accused of conspiring to obtain lucrative media rights contracts from regional soccer federations through the payment of up to $110 million in bribes.

In Brazil, the Senate, led by former national soccer star Romario, now a legislator, moved to open a formal inquiry into bribes that authorities said were paid to obtain contracts with the Brazilian Soccer Federation.

The Miami-based Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) president Jeffrey Webb, who was among those arrested, has been provisionally dismissed from his role, the confederation said on Thursday.