Conti issues statement on FIFA crisis

ERJ staff report (DS)

Hanover, Germany -- Continental, as one of the key sponsors of the FIFA World Cup has issued a statement on the current developments within the organisation.

The statement says, "We cannot approve of anything that negatively affects the reputation of professional soccer, the World Cup 2014 or the characteristics of this sport."

In full, the statement says, "We have been supporting professional soccer for more than 15 years with passion and engagement - regional (ie:. the Bundesliga team of Hanover 96), national (ie:. the German Cup) and international (ie: Major League Soccer in the US). The characteristics of this No 1 world-wide sport - precision, technique, passion and teamplay - are well matched to our premium brand Continental. We are also an Official Sponsor of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and are looking forward to this next major event which takes place in the most soccer passionate country in the world. And we will continue to support professional soccer in the future, but how we do this is yet to be decided. Therefore, we cannot approve of anything that negatively affects the reputation of professional soccer, the World Cup 2014 or the characteristics of this sport. "