The All Blacks' worldwide sponsors adidas are in the gun on the eve of Rugby's World Cup final.
The German sports giants, who also have global kit deals with the England cricket team and leading English Premier League clubs Manchester United and Chelsea, were exposed again yesterday over their failureto distance themselves from Sepp Blatter's corrupt FIFA regime.
Four of FIFA's sponsors - in the top tier of backers with adidas - appeared before the DCMS select committee yesterday united in demanding wholesale reforms in Zurich and all of them calling for an independent advisory group to be set up and much more transparency about where their money went.
The representatives from Visa, Budweiser, Coca-Cola and McDonald's claimed they had all invited adidas to support their joint condemnation of FIFA, including calling for Blatter to step down - but to no avail. Adidas have a 30-year partnership with FIFA.
However, the four's decision to speak out did not impress the select committee, who felt they had been far too passive over FIFA for too long - especially over construction workers' conditions in Qatar. Visa were the only member of the quartet to declare they would abandon their sponsorship if the promised FIFA reforms fail to meet their approval.
Adidas have been long-time sponsors of the All Blacks, first signing with New Zealand Rugby in the mid-1990s and renewing their multi-million dollar deal twice since then.
