Fifa sponsor Coke has welcomed Sepp Blatter's decision to resign, describing it as "a positive step" for football.

Mr Blatter has said he will resign as president of football's governing body Fifa amid a corruption scandal.

Coke said it believed the move would help "Fifa to transform itself rapidly" into a "21st Century institution".

The drinks giant added that it expected Fifa would continue to "act with urgency" to address the issues raised.

Last week, Fifa was hit by the arrests on charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering as part of a US prosecution that also indicted 14 people.

Mr Blatter was subsequently re-elected, but on Tuesday resigned, saying that his mandate "did not appear to be supported by everybody".

Concerns voiced

Coke's statement said: "We respect Mr. Blatter's decision. The announcement today is a positive step for the good of sport, football and its fans.

"Our expectation remains that Fifa will continue to act with urgency to take concrete actions to fully address all of the issues that have been raised and win back the trust of all who love the sport of football.

"We believe this decision will help Fifa transform itself rapidly into a much-needed 21st Century structure and institution," it concluded.

Meanwhile McDonalds, another Fifa sponsor, said: "We're hopeful that the changes being implemented within Fifa will be a big first step in positively reforming the organisation and gaining back trust from fans worldwide."

The corruption scandal had already led many sponsors to voice their concerns, with Visa in particular warning that unless the global governing body made "changes now", it would "reassess" its sponsorship.

For the four years of the last "World Cup cycle", from 2011 to 2014, Fifa's six top-tier Global Partners (as was - there are now five) paid a total of $177m (£116m) annually, which means each partner paid roughly $30m a year for this status. Tier one sponsor Sony decided not to renew its contract last year - it had been a Fifa partner since 2007, after signing a contract in 2005 worth $38m annually.

Who are Fifa's five top tier partners and two World Cup sponsors?

Adidas - the German sportswear firm has been supplying the official match ball for all Fifa World Cup tournament matches since 1970. Also involved in all other Fifa events, such as the Confederations Cup Brazil 2013, and the Fifa U-20 World Cups for women and men.

Coca-Cola - the US soft drinks firm is one of the longest-standing corporate partners of Fifa, with a formal association since 1974 and an official sponsorship of the Fifa World Cup that began in 1978. Coca-Cola has had stadium advertising at every Fifa World Cup since 1950.

Gazprom - the Russian energy giant signed up with Fifa in 2013 as a partner for all competitions in the period of 2015 to 2018, including the 2018 Fifa World Cup, which is due to take place in Russia for the first time. (The firm is also an official partner of the Uefa Champions League 2012 to 2015).

Hyundai/Kia - the South Korean carmaker began its Fifa alliance in 1999, in a deal to sponsor 13 Fifa competitions including the 2002 World Cup, an agreement extended to the 2006 event. It again backed the 2010 World Cup and is now the official Automotive Partner of Fifa until 2022.

Visa - the credit card company became a top-tier Fifa partner in 2007, taking over from rivals MasterCard in controversial circumstances, and recently extended its relationship until 2022. It is a sponsor of five Fifa events this year, including the Women's World Cup in Canada.

Budweiser - the US beverage has been a World Cup sponsor since the 1986 event in Mexico, and is the Official Beer of the tournament, with its product on sale in all stadia at the finals, and it also sponsors the Man of the Match award at each game.

McDonald's - the American fast food chain has been a sponsor since the 1994 World Cup in the US. Its products are available at all matches in the finals tournament, and it also sponsors the World Cup Player Escort programme, in which children accompany the teams onto the pitch.