According to one of Sepp Blatter's former aids, the outgoing FIFA president might also be the incoming FIFA president.
Klaus Stoehlker, formerly Blatter's election adviser, said this to a Swiss newspaper: "Blatter has built the organisation into a global, highly successful company, and he's a top diplomat. Blatter has a reasonable chance. It now depends on how he behaves in the coming months."
The gist of Stoehler's comments and those made by other, unnamed, sources is that if Sepp Blatter decides there isn't a candidate worthy of replacing him, he's just going to go ahead and do it himself.
A FIFA spokesperson denied that Stoehler's comments had any merit. Chairman of FIFA's audit and compliance committee Domenico Scala has expressed his desire for Blatter to stick with his resignation plans.
The next election, expected to be scheduled within the next month or so, would likely end up about the same as the last one for Blatter, who still has allies in Asia and Africa.
Blatter announced his resignation June 2, just four days after being elected FIFA president.
Why would Blatter decide not to resign after all? This tweet seems like a good start.
Sepp Blatter likely realized if he steps down from FIFA, his successor might not protect him from law enforcement. https://t.co/wol4gPwtJr
— Michael McCann (@McCannSportsLaw) June 14, 2015
Contact The18 Staff Writer Sam Klomhaus at Klomhaus@The18.com or follow him on Twitter @SamKlomhaus