Sebastian Coe has claimed in his autobiography Fifa president Sepp Blatter said "English football is run by idiots".
In Coe's Running My Life, he says Blatter once remarked to him: "Your game is run by idiots. It's not run by bright people," and Coe also remarks Blatter "has always had a problem with the English game".
Blatter's relationship with the English game has been an estranged once since he assumed office in 1998.
He once threatened to kick England out of the 2004 European Championship after crowd trouble occurred during a qualifier against Turkey in April 2003, despite it being regarded as an isolated incident.
Coe and Blatter in 2010
In 2010 he was scapegoated again after England received just two votes for their "remarkable" - as Blatter described it - 2018 World Cup bid. Fifa voted overwhelmingly in favour of Russia, a country with inherent racial problems in its football leagues.
Coe adds in his book his instinct was "Blatter always wanted Russia".
And later last year the Swiss remarked, shortly after Luis Suárez and John Terry had been accused of airing racist insults, players should merely shake hands to settle any similar rows in the future.