FIFA’s blockchain partnership is the first US-based sponsor for 11 years
The football association FIFA has announced the Algorand blockchain as their first US-based sponsor for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. They term the deal as a technical partnership, as Algorand will help FIFA to develop a digital assets strategy, and potentially market football-related NFTs.
Summary
FIFA has had a somewhat torrid time over the last ten years. First, corruption and match-fixing allegations culminated in the organization’s President Seth Blatter being charged with fraud, mismanagement, misappropriation of FIFA funds, and forgery of a document. While his colleague Michel Platini was accused of fraud, misappropriation, forgery, and as an accomplice to Blatter’s alleged mismanagement.
In the aftermath, FIFA has struggled to land any high-profile US-based sponsors to complement long-standing deals with Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Visa, and Mcdonald’s. Until recently, FIFA signed…