Dubai's Emirates Airline confirmed on Monday it will not renew its sponsorship contract with football governing body FIFA after the current deal expires at the end of the year.

”Emirates can confirm that a decision has been made not to renew the sponsorship agreement with FIFA past 2014. This decision was made following an evaluation of FIFA’s contract proposal which did not meet Emirates’ expectations,” the airline said in a statement to Arabian Business.

German news magazine Der Spiegel reported earlier this week that the Dubai airline was quitting as one of FIFA's top tier sponsors and speculated that Qatar Airways, the national carrier of 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar, would likely replace them. A Qatar Airways spokesperson did not respond when contacted by Arabian Business for comment.

While Emirates did not specify the exact reason for ending its sponsorship deal with the football authority, this summer FIFA sponsors Coca-Cola, Adidas, Sony and Visa issued a statement expressing their concerns regarding allegations of bribery surrounding the hosting of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in Russia and Qatar, respectively.

Earlier this year, it was reported Emirates had spent about $100 million on football sponsorship in the past four years to be one of FIFA's six top "partners", according to London-based Brand Finance, which works with corporate marketers.

"They have made a very strategic investment, and they are kind of ingrained in the games," Brand Finance sports valuation analyst Dave Chattaway was quoted as saying by The Economic Times.

"You can truly say they are a global brand name."

Emirates sponsors six European premier league teams, including Arsenal, AC Milan, and Real Madrid.

Sports sponsorship has become a central part of the airline’s marketing strategy as it rapidly expands its network.

At the time, Front Row Marketing Services senior vice-president Eric Smallwood told The Economic Times he expected Emirates to remain a FIFA sponsor when Russia hosts the next World Cup in 2018.

The signs of unease from some of FIFA's paymasters will raise pressure on the body, led by its 78-year-old Swiss president Sepp Blatter, to get to the bottom of the allegations and tackle underlying concerns about how it is run.

"The negative tenor of the public debate around FIFA at the moment is neither good for football nor for FIFA and its partners," said German sportswear company Adidas, which has signed up as FIFA sponsor until 2030, extending a partnership dating back to 1970.

Coca-Cola concurred. "Anything that detracts from the mission and ideals of the FIFA World Cup is a concern to us," a company statement from the drinks giant read.

"But we are confident that FIFA is taking these allegations very seriously and is investigating them thoroughly through the Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee.

"The FIFA World Cup is a platform that unites people all over the world, inspiring and celebrating the world's most popular sport while creating memorable experiences for athletes and fans. We believe that through our partnership and continued involvement with FIFA we can help foster optimism and unity, while making a positive difference in the communities we serve."

Britain's The Sunday Times newspaper has printed what it says are leaked documents showing bribes were paid to secure the event for Qatar, which Qatar denies.

"We are in constant contact with our Commercial Affiliates including Adidas, Sony and Visa and they have 100 percent confidence in the investigation currently being conducted by FIFA's independent Ethics Committee," FIFA’s marketing director Thierry Weil said at the time.

"Our sponsors have not requested anything that is not covered by the on-going investigation by the Ethics Committee."

It is unusual for sponsors to say anything publicly on such a sensitive issue and the comments reflect concern over the knock-on effects on their image. Emirates has always declined to comment on the allegations.

FIFA, which Blatter has led since 1998, earned almost $1.4 billion last year, including more than $600 million from the sale of broadcasting rights and more than $400 million from sponsors and other marketing partners.

Sony, Adidas, Visa and Coca-Cola are among six main FIFA sponsors who collectively paid around $180 million last year.

Reports this week have speculated that Sony is also likely to end its sponsorship deal.