Breaking News: Blatter's Ducking And Diving Catches Up With Him

From the moment Sepp Blatter became FIFA president in 1998 he has been dogged by allegations of corruption, and calls from inside football and out, to stand aside.

And for almost 20 years, he has managed to stay one step ahead of his pursuers.
No matter how tight the corner he has always found a way to slip the punch and fight on.
Whether it was allegations of bribery in his first election campaign, accusations of financial mismanagement in his second, or the corruption scandal surrounding the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, he has managed to stay on his feet.

With an irony that will have delighted his opponents but appeared entirely lost on Blatter, the ban was handed down by FIFA's Ethics Committee, a body he established to try and convince the world that he was committed to cleaning up FIFA.
In the past it appeared to act as a hit-squad on his behalf, taking out former allies like the rogue Jack Warner when he posed a threat to Mr Blatter's reputation, or Mohammed Bin Hammam, his rival for the FIFA presidency in 2011.
Now it has targeted him, Blatter refuses to accept the verdict, and suggests that someone inside FIFA is pulling the trigger for their own purpose.
It is hubris entirely in keeping with his presidency and his leaving of it.
That was evident in his choice of venue for the valedictory press conference.
Barred from FIFA's current premises, he rented their former HQ above Lake Zurich, the building he first walked into 40 years ago when he joined the organisation.
In the same auditorium where he once hosted Nelson Mandela (and was first asked if he accepted bribes) he railed against the perceived injustice of the verdict.
He continued to maintain his innocence when he sat down with Sky News for his only UK interview afterwards, but up close the toll this has taken was clear.