Sponsors concerned by FIFA allegations

The former head of Club England has branded FIFA "toxic" as sponsors began to express concern over the ongoing corruption investigation.

Adidas is the ball manufacturer for FIFA. (AAP) Source: AAP

A dramatic day in both Switzerland and America left FIFA sponsors closely monitoring developments.

A statement from adidas read: "The adidas Group is fully committed to creating a culture that promotes the highest standards of ethics and compliance, and we expect the same from our partners.

"Following today's news, we can therefore only encourage FIFA to continue to establish and follow transparent compliance standards in everything they do.

"adidas is the world's leading football brand and we will continue to support football on all levels."

Nike was unavailable for comment when contacted by Press Association Sport.

A spokesman for Budweiser said: "We expect all of our partners to maintain strong ethical standards and operate with transparency."

Adrian Bevington, who left his dual position as managing director of Club England and director of communications in December after 17 years with the Football Association, likened the governing body to disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong after a wave of arrests in Zurich on Wednesday.

Bevington told Sky Sports News: "FIFA's brand is toxic. It has been for years. It doesn't get much more serious than this. The only thing I can compare it to is the Lance Armstrong situation."