Sepp Blatter was caught with straight to the chin earlier this week when the European Union scuppered his plan to regulate the flow of foreign nationals playing in domestic leagues. An EU spokesman unequivocally stated that in implementing such a ruling, FIFA would be in breach of the law. That Switzerland where the ruling would be passed is not a member of the EU matters not one jot; it is effectively an associate member of the ‘august’ body and its members are based in the zone under the control of the bureaucrats from Brussels.

To celebrate such a comment is to underestimate the FIFA President. He has not survived this long in his current position without a considerable amount of politicking behind the scenes. Next week he will meet with the English Premier League and Football Association. Both of these bodies have been less than supportive of his plans in the past yet they both have much to gain by working to his goal.

The EPL plans for matches to be held on foreign soil may yet find favour with the powerbroker if they were, for instance, to suddenly make themselves available as a ‘guinea pig’ for his ruling. The new wave of club owners will not bat an eyelid about jeopardising their clubs chances in European competition if they can double the revenue that the Champions League has to offer. Similarly, the FA want Blatter’s blessing for their 2018 World Cup bid. Such rewards are a small price to pay for backing his plans.

For Blatter, getting the most commercially successful and rapacious football economy on his side is a feather in his cap. Whilst the British government may not be popular with their continental counterparts, the horse-trading, commercial wealth and the chance to halt the dominance of English football in the money stakes may yet be too good an opportunity of Brussels to miss.

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