With FIFA presidential elections approaching fast, the timing could not have been more dramatic, but today's arrests in Switzerland and the investigations into alleged corruption by some officials has plunged world football's governing body into a crisis that even they have not experienced before.
And more is likely to emerge according to French football writer Philippe Auclair, who has previously interviewed FIFA president Sepp Blatter and who joined us on Off The Ball to discuss today's revelations.
How worried will FIFA be within its ranks?
"This is something that cannot be 'managed'. I think that's the big difference. In the past, there have been many allegations - and sometimes more than allegations - about FIFA, but it's always been possible for the organisation to regroup and sweep it under the carpet or use it as a means to go ahead. This is not the case anymore. This is really an explosion within FIFA and I would expect more to come out in the days, weeks and months to come."
Where does Blatter fit into the picture?
"I think Sepp Blatter knows an awful lot of things but I don't think he knows everything. Maybe he doesn't want to know everything. But one thing to always keep in mind when you talk about FIFA is it's far too easy to picture Sepp Blatter as a James Bond villian, stroking his white cat in his FIFA office.
"In fact, the power within FIFA is not just held by Joseph Blatter, but also by the confederations. Part of the problem is the power of the confederations is far too extensive and therefore Sepp Blatter doesn't really have a government. What he has is a coalition of personal and regional interests. Therefore he has to make compromises and dine with the devil - not necessarily with a long spoon- and ignore what's happening around him and manage what's happening as best as he can to keep his position.
"So you shouldn't make Sepp Blatter into the number one villain or Don Corleone of what is happening within FIFA. I'm not saying he doesn't know anything about what's happened. What I'm saying is that to point the finger at one man in particular would be to miss the whole point completely. It's the whole governance of football at every level within the confederations in FIFA."
Can we expect more revelations from those arrested?
"The birds will sing, there is no doubt, because it's no joke. If you're indicted and extradited to the United States of America - and obviously they do mean business - it's no joke at all. It's likely that some of the people might be tempted to spill the beans and some people who have not been indicted might also be tempted to go forward and to say something to 'protect myself, I better say what I know right now.'"
What about the Swiss investigation into the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups?
"What strikes me is the synchronicity of both operations and it's quite clear that the FBI and the American authorities have been collaborating with the Swiss authorities all along and that would make me think that perhaps there is more to the Swiss investigation than most people would have feared - that it was another opportunity just to sweep the matter under the carpet.
"I think there might be more to it than that and again I'm one of the people who spoke for a very long time that the fate of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups was by no means set in stone. The reaction of the Russian authorities to what happened today is quite interesting, as a matter of fact. They basically said to the Americans 'you shouldn't meddle in these matters' and they're a bit nervous. Everybody is very, very nervous. Some people who are quite close to Sepp Blatter and to other people like Mohammad bin Hammam at the time are also privately very nervous. This time it's not newspaper allegations or books being published. It's about the FBI, the Swiss investigators. It's something far bigger."
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