Former Irish FA head Jim Boyce is retiring as Fifa vice-president
Outgoing Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce has said he is not surprised that Sepp Blatter has resigned as head of the world football body.
"I think the adverse publicity that Sepp has received since being re-elected has been phenomenal," he said.
US prosecutors launched a criminal inquiry last week, with seven Fifa officials arrested in Switzerland, part of a group of 14 people indicted.
Two days after the arrests, Mr Blatter was re-elected president of Fifa.
However, he announced on Tuesday that he was stepping down, saying that it appeared the mandate he had been given "does not seem to be supported by everyone in the world".
Jim Boyce
According to US media reports, the 79-year-old is being investigated by US officials as part of their inquiry into corruption at Fifa.
Mr Boyce told BBC Northern Ireland on Wednesday: "I personally will be surprised if Sepp Blatter is guilty of corruption, but I welcome the full inquiry that is being made."
Mr Boyce, 71, said the inquiry related to matters before he took on the Fifa vice-presidency in 2010, and since taking on the role, he had no sense that anything underhand was going on within the organisation.
"If any of these people are found guilty of any form of dishonesty, they should be dealt with in the strongest possible manner," said the former Irish FA president.
Mr Boyce, who has known Mr Blatter for 22 years, said he had criticised him in private conversations for failing to deal in a timely manner with Fifa officials "who had been exposed as criminals".
"For example in 2006 at the World Cup in Germany, (former Fifa official) Jack Warner was caught red-handed selling tickets at very much above face-value on the black market," he said.
"He should've been shown the door in 2006 and I told him that."
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On the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, he said: "If there is undoubted proof that corruption was involved... there should be a re-vote for those World Cups now."
"It's going to be very difficult in the Russia situation when you think that the draw for the World Cup is going to be made in St Petersburg on 25 July," he said.
"Irrespective of that, if there is definite form of corruption and it's proven that there was corruption then I think FIFA have got to show leadership."
Mr Boyce said it was not fair that the "many good people" who work at Fifa were being "tarred with the same brush because of people who have acted wrongly".
The departing Mr Blatter said: "Fifa needs profound restructuring"
Asked if he would consider standing as Fifa president, he said he had a "wonderful career" but it was time for him to retire.
Meanwhile, Irish FA chief executive Patrick Nelson has said Mr Blatter's resignation is good for football.
"We felt it was time for change last week, we feel it's time for change this week and the fact that Mr Blatter has actually seen that at last - I'm not quite sure why's it's happened this quickly - but the fact that it has happened this quickly, I think is a cause for us to think positively," he said.
