Sponsors of the FIFA World Cup have released statements expressing their serious concern at allegations of "rampant, systemic and deep-rooted corruption" at the heart of the organisation.
The companies – which include some of the world's best-known brands – spend tens of millions of dollars every year to be associated with FIFA tournaments, and the arrests of seven senior officials could place the lucrative sponsorship deals in danger.
Swiss police are also preparing to question another 10 senior FIFA executives over their decision to award World Cups to Russia and Qatar.
McDonald's, The Coca-Cola Company, Adidas, Budweiser and Hyundai have all released comments following Wednesday's dramatic arrests at a five-star Zurich hotel.
Visa issued the strongest statement however, threatening to "reassess its sponsorship" unless the football governing body takes "swift and immediate steps" to address the allegations.
It added: "Visa became a sponsor of FIFA because the World Cup is one of the few truly global sporting events with the power to unite people from around the world through a common love of football.
"Our sponsorship has always focused on supporting the teams, enabling a great fan experience, and inspiring communities to come together and celebrate the spirit of competition and personal achievement – and it is important that FIFA makes changes now, so that the focus remains on these going forward."
The Coca-Cola Company said: "This lengthy controversy has tarnished the mission and ideals of the FIFA World Cup and we have repeatedly expressed our concerns about these serious allegations."
Adidas, the German sportswear company, added: "(We are) fully committed to creating a culture that promotes the highest standards of ethics and compliance and we expect the same from our partners."
Budweiser, Hyundai and McDonald's also issued statements to confirm "they were monitoring the situation closely".
According to sports marketing experts, the controversy places sponsors in an awkward position – but they will probably give FIFA "a little bit of time to get their house in order".
Although the deals are highly profitable for each brand, they could face pressure from shoppers to distance themselves from any corruption.
"The value of the sponsorships is very high or they wouldn't be prepared to pay so much for it," according to Interbrand's chief executive, Jez Frampton.
"Football is one of the few global properties that enable you to connect with people around the world."
Andrew Zimbalist, an economist from Smith College, added: "The large majority of sponsors will hang in there. Most sponsors who were putting money into FIFA knew about FIFA's problems, so this was not new for them."
The controversy comes after seven FIFA officials were arrested in Switzerland on Wednesday over claims they were part of a racket involving bribes adding up to more than $150m.
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