World Cup sponsors’ brand values could diminish if planned protests against them go ahead, an intellectual property expert has warned. Gareth Davies said up to $100 billion could be lost though smear campaigns, as many companies do not have the cover needed to protect them from this kind of treatment.

Th opportunity for media created through the world’s biggest sporting event is a grave threat to the top 15 companies who paid around $30 million each for the rights to be associated with the event. Insurers now offer specific brand crisis insurance to pay for quick investigation and verification of vicious claims. 

Mr Davies says, “the bigger the brand, the bigger the scandal”, regardless of whether it is true or false. Only last week, The Times in London reported that soccer balls bearing the names of World Cup sponsors Adidas and Coca Cola were made using child labour. It was revealed later that the balls were counterfeits. The damage to the brands has not yet been quantified.