As president of Fifa, world football's governing body, Sepp Blatter has a lot of influence. As the unofficial founder and life president of the Foot-in-Mouth Society, he has been at it again, describing the sport over which he so erratically presides as little more than “modern slavery”.

Blatter was once labelled “a man who has 50 ideas a day, 51 of them bad”. In yet another of his regular and wide-ranging rants, he lived up to his “Mad as a Blatter” reputation, suggesting that Cristiano Ronaldo should be allowed to leave Manchester United for Real Madrid.

Critics of Blatter often struggle to know whether to laugh or cry. Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, is likely to be similarly bemused, if not outraged, that the sport's most powerful administrator appears to be giving his blessing to the potential exit of Ronaldo, the Portugal winger and Ferguson's star turn at Old Trafford.

Asked about Ronaldo's public flirting with Real, Blatter said: “The important thing is we should also protect the player. And if the player wants to play somewhere else, then a solution should be found. If he stays in a club where he does not feel comfortable to play, then it's not good for the player and for the club. I'm always in favour to protect the player and if the player wants to leave, let him leave.”

During the interview in Zurich, to be screened on Sky News today, Blatter at least offers a possible solution to the Ronaldo saga. Again, though, Ferguson is unlikely to be impressed by the suggestion by the 72-year-old Swiss that the player should be able to buy out his contract.

“In football, there's too much modern slavery, in transferring players or buying players here and there and putting them somewhere,” Blatter said. “We are trying now to intervene in such cases. The reaction to the Bosman law was to make long-lasting contracts in order to keep the players. Then, if he wants to leave, there is only one solution: he has to pay his contract.”

With Frank Lampard, the England midfield player, having turned down an offer of wages of about £130,000 a week from Chelsea, Blatter's use of the phrase “modern slavery” is curious. However, he did appear to return to Planet Earth briefly.

When asked about the Premier League's controversial plans to stage a “39th game” abroad - or for League Cup fixtures to be played outside of England - Blatter was adamant. “They [the Premier League] should just forget about that,” he said.

Blatter did concede that the 2010 World Cup finals, which are scheduled to be held in South Africa, could be moved elsewhere because of construction problems with stadiums and concerns over the rise in crime in the country. If Plan B were needed, though, he declined to reveal which potential new hosts had been approached.

“I cannot say to whom I have spoken,” Blatter said. “But I have spoken to three possible, not only possible, but three associations and countries that would be able to stage the World Cup in one year's time. They need one year.”

When asked whether England was one of the triumvirate, Blatter became suddenly and strangely reticent. “I cannot give you names,” he said. “You can ask and ask. That's another question I have to answer by no answer.”

Blatter offers an insight into how women's football could be made easier on the eye. “They could have tighter shorts,” he said.

Foot-in-mouth time

* In an attempt to raise the game's profile in the United States, especially with television networks, he has another brainchild - two halves could become four quarters.

* Size clearly matters, so why not raise the bar ... literally? Blatter suggests the goals should be half a metre wider and 25cm higher.

* Blatter again in choppy waters. “There are gay footballers, but they don't declare it because it will not be accepted in these macho organisations,” he said. “Look at women's football - homosexuality is more popular there.”

* He rules that clubs field no more than five foreign players. Agreed by Fifa, yet opposed by the Premier League and European Union, whose laws it would breach.