He’s recently been in the news for laying into Gary Neville, which will have done his cause no harm at all.
No-one would have predicted recent events, but a generational opportunity now exists to improve the financial sustainability and governance of the game.
We don’t yet know if Russia poisoned Sergei Skripal. But there was already more than enough reason not to take part in the Kremlin’s propaganda tournament.
Whilst we can still hope for a great tournament on the pitch, it’s perhaps worth reflecting on our relationship with the Gulf state – and the wider ramifications of the tournament.