. . . Blatter did concede that the agreement should have been registered properly by the FIFA administration and its omission was “an error.”

However he added: “This has nothing to do with ethics. It is just about financial and administrative duties. There was an error but this was not something to do with the ethics regulations.”

Blatter also complained about the original 90-day suspension, obviously failing to understand the provisional nature of the order pending the outcome of the full investigation.

He also believed that he, as president, should be beyond the jurisdiction of the ethics committee. Hence he still intended to fight so that he could preside over the February 26 election to choose his successor.

Blatter said: “I am ashamed about the ethics committee’s existence and that they didn’t go into the evidence presented and that this committee has no right to go against the president.

“The president of FIFA can only be released from his activities by the congress . . . otherwise you cannot elect another president.”

. . .