It's just typical isn't it? No sooner have I praised Sepp Blatter for being a sensible, more reasoned version of the man he once was than he goes and makes the most stupid and offensive comment in the entire history of football.

In an interview this week about the Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid saga, Blatter said there was "too much modern slavery in football" referring to the fact that Manchester United are determined not to let Cristiano leave.

What a terribly deluded individual he is. When I think of slaves I think of poor, oppressed people, predominantly black, being forced to work for days on end against their will for no pay. I think of men in chains forced to carry out the tasks that their 'masters' deemed too menial. I think of one of the most shameful practices in mankind's history.

What I certainly don't think of are multi-millionaire footballers, with sprawling mansions, fleets of fast cars, bulging bank accounts and Page 3 models on each arm. I don't think of privileged young men earning €160,000 a week for kicking a football round a pitch.

Ronaldo, of course, is now a man on a mission and he wasted no time in saying he agreed with Blatter's comments 100 per cent - missing the irony that he was speaking from his multi-million euro home in Lisbon. Typical slave accommodation that.

When the annoying little player signed his latest United contract he did so of his own free will. He did so following advice from his management team. He did so in the presence of a FIFA-approved agent.

He knew what he was getting into and he knew it meant if Manchester United did not want to sell him, they didn't have to. Simple as that! It's not even a point for debate and certainly not even vaguely close to slavery.

Personally I can't comprehend either of these two men. Ronaldo needs to grow up and stop acting like a spoilt kid who can't have his own way. His current employers - and that's what they are, not slave drivers - pay him very, very well for doing what he does. He lives a life of luxury that most of us can only dream of. How on earth does he think he can pass himself off as the victim? Does he expect us, the average men in the street, to actually feel sorry for him? It isn't going to happen, mate.

And Blatter. Well. What can you say about a man like that? In recent months I had started to warm to him, especially over his six-plus-five homegrown players scheme. It seemed he had turned the corner and was now saying things which made sense. Then he goes and passes a sickening comment like this.

Official estimates suggest there are currently 27 million people in enforced slavery around the world, working in mines, factories and in the sex trade. People who are bought and sold for as little as $40 by evil human traffickers. Women and children make up a good portion of that number. Children, Sepp, young innocent children who are forced to do things they can't even understand by men carrying guns. That's modern slavery. Not some overpaid arrogant footballer who wants to swap a luxurious life in Manchester for an even more luxurious life in Madrid.

If there were any justice in life then Blatter would be forced to quit over his comments. Having someone that is such a distance acquaintance of common decency in charge of world football is an embarrassment.

Better still, he could do the right thing, tender his resignation and leave the job with a shred of dignity intact. Just a shred.

But that just isn't going to happen. While there is one millionaire footballer out there who is not playing for the club of his dreams, one overpaid primadonna who feels trapped by his current contract, Sepp will continue to fight the good fight.

And drag down the name of football in the process.

Air we go

With less than a month to go before the world's biggest sporting event gets underway a cloud hangs over the Beijing Olympics. Literally.

Despite numerous pledges, promises and vows by the organisers to cut pollution in the gigantic city, tests this week have revealed that on six out of seven days the air failed to meet World Health Organisation standards.

And, on one of those days, the reading was seven times over the accepted international pollution limit making a walk to the corner shop a bit like spending the morning with your head up a chimney.

For the thousands of athletes gearing up to take part in the games, this news is certain to take the shine off their Olympic dream. Nothing makes you feel less like competing than the knowledge that every step you take fills up your lungs with soot, dirt, dust and other unspecified pollutant.

There is still a ray of hope, however, that the 100 metres final won't be obscured by a cloud of smog - a bunch of emergency pollution cutting measures will come into effect later this month taking cars off the streets, closing building sites and suspending work in factories.

Sounds a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted to me. Then again, strong winds between then and the opening on August 8 could just be enough to ensure taking part in your event isn't like smoking two packs before breakfast.

The International Olympic Committee has promised that events will be rescheduled is the air proves to be too polluted on any given day. But, if the recently taken readings are anything to go by, that could mean massive disruption across the board. Not what you want during such an intensive sporting event with a schedule that is busier than a big busy thing.

So far China has apparently spent $12 billion trying to make the air clean and safe for their big day but their efforts have not resulted in enough tangible success.

Their failure on this front is made all the more evident by their success in other areas of preparation for the games.

For example, all 31 competition venues are ready to go including 12 that have been specifically built for the games. The transport system has been upgraded and generally sorted out. The media centre and Olympic village are all sparkly and ready to go.

And there have even been advertising campaigns aimed at preparing Beijing's residents ahead of next month's foreigner invasion. One even tried to get the public to stop spitting in the streets, a local custom that will not go down well with western sensibilities.

There are those, of course, who think all this worry about the air is an irrelevancy as China should not have been awarded the games in the first place on human rights issues.

And they have a point. There were numerous political grounds for taking this Olympics elsewhere, something that was highlighted by the recent trouble in Tibet.

But, the truth is, that the ship has sailed. No going back now. And thoughts now need to turn to the sporting aspect. Which means athletes coughing their way through a toxic soup of an atmosphere is now the main issue. And all we can do is sit and hope the pollution blows over by the big kick-off.

Serving up a feast

It must surely have been the greatest tennis match of all time. When Federer and Nadal entered the court nobody could possibly have predicted the seven-hour thriller that was about to unfold in front of them. A match so perfect that even the numerous rain breaks felt like they were timed for dramatic, tension-building effect.

The cliché "it's a shame someone has to lose" was probably used to breaking point all over the world as the centre court drama unfolded. But it's hard to think of a more appropriate thing to say because it was, undoubtedly, sad that either of these two men would end up a loser. After five straight wins it would have been nice for cardigan-wearing Roger to claim his record breaking sixth Wimbledon title. But, as it was, it was equally nice to see the balance of power shift to the Spaniard in such beautiful fashion.

Both these players still have a considerable amount of tennis career left in them and we could feasibly see a number of classics like this one over the coming years. Although I don't think any will ever quite match up to this one.

Unlike the days of the inquisition, this is a pretty good time to be Spanish.

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com