The election was more of a contest than anticipated. Blatter’s opponent, Prince Ali bin Hussein of Jordan, received 73 votes to four-term incumbent’s 133. It was enough, in theory, to force a second ballot. Yet Ali, to the loud gratitude of the delegates, withdrew. Blatter flattered the Prince on his “strong showing.” The rhino-skinned president can shrug off the protest vote. The danger is that FIFA’s other troubles will give the anti-Blatter hardliners the opportunity to take dramatic action. If they cannot overthrow Blatter, they can break away from his fiefdom.

Blatter’s staunchest opponents have already uttered the word “boycott,” normally taboo among polite (and politic) sports administrators. The next World Cup in Russia in 2018 is the target.

Blatter is too sharp a politician not to spot the threat. He is also too ruthless not to contemplate a solution. He boasted after his re-election that he was still “in command of the boat of FIFA.” In a typically ambiguous statement, which could be taken as implying that FIFA’s critics were sore losers, he also seemed to hint that he might be prepared to throw even the next two hosts, Qatar and Russia, overboard to avoid his boat sinking.