Sepp Blatter’s legacy at FIFA looks set to get even darker

Sepp Blatter wished to be remembered as the man who took the World Cup around the planet.

Instead his legacy is set to be much darker.

The past week’s revelations that the Ireland FA were paid 5 million Euros not to protest Thierry Henry’s handball back in 2009 were startling.

The Arsenal legend’s foul ensured France qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa while the Republic missed out.

It was a shameful moment for the game, one in which a television audience running into billions witnessed cheating rewarded at the highest level.

FAI Chief Executive John Delaney’s admission his association accepted the payment not to pursue legal action against the world body shows the episode to have been even worse than feared.

FIFA reacted swiftly by stating the cash was only a loan to rebuild the Aviva stadium.

A loan which was subsequently written off when the Republic failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup Finals.

It is an explanation which will do little to satisfy world football. Nor should it.

One man’s compensation is another’s hush money.

Accounts stating Blatter himself was involved in almost aggressively demanding the FAI quieten down make things even worse.

The biggest question surely, though, is why did the FAI take the deal?

Had Delaney made the offer public, there would have been an incredible outcry.

And, without doubt, all the sympathy would have been for the Irish.

So why didn’t he blow the whistle?

Only the man himself can answer the question, but the suspicion must be they simply weren’t prepared to take the consequences.

That Blatter’s power was so great, Delaney believed the FIFA heads would survive the row and that his own career in the game would swiftly be at an end.

I know people looking in from the outside will find that hard to believe.

I would suggest that the forthcoming elections to appoint a successor to the Swiss will demonstrate exactly how much influence he had and will continue to have.

European commentators welcomed his resignation and hailed it as a fantastic opportunity to rebuild.

Huge names such as Michel Platini, Luis Figo and David Ginola were quickly linked with the post.

I don’t believe any of them will get it.

I am sure, in fact, there will be an anti-European vote from many of the smaller countries around the world, who were the beneficiaries of FIFA’s largesse over the years.

In previous columns I have outlined the scale of the numbers we are talking about.

The world body has 209 members only 54 of them are also members of the European association.

Yes, it is true UEFA includes the very richest, the most-influential countries.

I am talking about the likes of Spain, Germany, England, France and Italy.

In a straight vote, though, they won’t have any more sway than anyone else.

That being the case, I am sure we will see the likes of Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan given control.

How that would be received in Europe remains to be seen.

I am likewise sure the row over the holding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup Finals in Russia and Qatar respectively has a long way to run.

With the bidding processes that led to the awards coming under ever-greater scrutiny, it would be no surprise to see one or more of the losers table a legal challenge a move that would bring fresh conflict to the game.

Blatter wished to be hailed as the man who took the World Cup around the planet. He may instead end up remembered as the man who helped tear the world game apart.

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