Author, journalist and Eric Cantona biographer Philippe Auclair gave one of the most insightful contributions on the Blatter announcement on Off The Ball this evening.
He not only lambasted the simplistic narrative that Blatter is an evil genius from whom all the ills of world football have sprung, he went on to predict that the judgement of history on Blatter will be far more positive than the current narrative suggests.
There's always this idea that Joseph Blatter is the man stroking the white cat in this James Bond like den in Zurich.
It's not the case!
Joseph Blatter is a survivor. He's a politician who's been governing with people who hate his guts for the past 30 years.
He reminded listeners that the members on the Executive Committee (those at the centre of the corruption allegations) were not hand-picked by FIFA but were selected by the confederations, including UEFA.
He cut the legs from under Michel Platini and any claims he might have to the Presidency, pointing out that he voted for Qatar.
He suggested that UEFA allowed its clubs to exploit the developing world and that if the European body had its way, the countries in the developing world will receive nothing.
I don't think UEFA has any lessons to give to anyone in the world of football. Anybody!
In those countries (developing world) which desperately need help in terms of football. If FIFA wasn't around, there'd be nothing. I know its not popular to say things like that, and to remind people that FIFA has done an awful lot of good work on the ground. It's done far more good work than UEFA has ever done.
He went onto pronounce today a 'sad day for football' partly because we have to suffer a host of 'hypocrites hogging the headlines'.
Auclair said that Blatter will use the remaining four months of his presidency to 'clean the stables' n world football administration.
His reputation is in tatters at the moments, and far too much for my tastes. There's an awful lot of people who are presenting themselves as white knights at the moment, who are certainly no better than Joseph Blatter and, in many cases, far, far worse than Joseph Blatter.
He said that Blatter is obsessed with his 'legacy' and his remaining few months will be devoted to an attempt to 'wipe the slate clean' and emerge as a man who was true to his word and tried to reform FIFA.
Listen below:
