Coca-Cola calls on FIFA to undergo immediate reform process led by external figure

A World Cup sponsor since 1978, Coca-Cola is presenting FIFA with one of the most notable challenges the disgraced governing body has ever faced from a corporate backer.

In a letter to the International Trade Union Confederation, the beverage company confirmed that it wrote to FIFA last week and called for independent third-party commission to oversee the organisation's reform, urging for "one or more eminent impartial leaders to manage the efforts necessary to help reform FIFA's governance and its human rights requirements."

BBC Sport elaborates:

We believe that establishing this independent commission will be the most credible way for FIFA to approach its reform process and is necessary to build back the trust it has lost.

We are calling for this approach out of our deep commitment to ethics and human rights and in the interest of seeing FIFA succeed.

Swiss investigators are looking at 81 suspicious banking relations involving FIFA and the awarding of the 2018 World Cup and 2022 World Cup.

The investigation is running parallel to the FBI inquiry that has resulted in 14 arrests on bribery charges, including nine officials who belong or have belonged to the governing body, seven of which are being detained, and one of which was the first to accept extradition to the United States.

At the end of May, Coca-Cola, along with other key sponsors of FIFA, called for reforms, saying, according to The Guardian: "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."

Following the surreal resignation of FIFA kingpin Sepp Blatter in early June, Coca-Cola issued a statement applauding the decision and stressing their expectation for the governing body to "continue to act with urgency."

Coca-Cola has a contract with FIFA until 2022.