“I’ve got a good one for you. What does a Russian oligarch and a FIFA official have in common?”

I don’t think Vlad Putin’s statement of confidence will do anything to boost Sepp Blatter’s chances at a Nobel Peace Prize. Not while he polarizes with his war mongering in the Ukraine, cozies upto Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechen warlord and murderous thug, targets dissidents, creates fertile ground for racists and xenophobia in Russian society, and fosters homophobia. But then Blatter is the chief reason why he will never win the Nobel because under him, his inner coterie of trusted lieutenants like Jack Warner, Jose Maria Marin, and Nicolas Leoz, engaged in racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracies for which they have either been arrested or charged.

Blatter is never shy of taking credit for third world empowerment with his mantra of soccer development in those countries. However, those claims are tarnished by his real legacy; the further enrichment of the kleptocracy of the already enriched and powerful.