If one thinks the bribery scandal buffeting world’s football governing body, FIFA is its outgoing president Mr. Sepp Blatter’s greatest worry, one will be wrong.

What has really dampened Blatter’s spirit back in Zurich, Switzerland is ‘the handshake for peace initiative’, which FIFA runs in collaboration with the Nobel Peace Centre.

The initiative, which will be part of the match protocol at the Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand and Women’s World Cup in Canada and may be at future competitions, has been snubbed by the Nobel Peace Centre.

And Mr. Blatter is angry and dispirited.

The Peace centre announced its severance of links with FIFA in a press statement and a livid FIFA expressed great disappointment at the decision and the manner it came.

A FIFA statement said: “We are disappointed to have learned from the media about the Nobel Peace Centre’s intent to terminate the cooperation with FIFA on the Handshake for Peace initiative.

“FIFA is reluctant to accept this unilateral approach on what is a joint initiative between the football community and the Nobel Peace Centre (NPC). This action does not embody the spirit of fair play especially as it obstructs the promotion of the key values of peace-building and anti-discrimination.”

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has long coveted a Nobel peace prize and had a telephone conversation with the centre’s chief executive Bente Erichsen on Tuesday morning.