Mark Pieth, the former chairman of FIFA's Independent Governance Committee, believes UEFA boss Michel Platini would be "the worst solution" as a successor for FIFA president Sepp Blatter.
Pieth, a Swiss law professor, was appointed by Blatter to examine the way the world football's governing body ran itself in 2011, but vacated his seat two years later maintaining at that time that FIFA "are a bit like the Vatican" and "no one can force them to change."
However, while no longer associated with FIFA, Pieth continues to have a strong opinion on the future of the organisation.
Following Blatter's announcement to resign earlier this week, Platini has been named as one of the candidates to succeed the 79-year-old, but, speaking to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Pieth warned that this would not change anything
"He would be the worst option and a step backwards for FIFA," he told the paper, and added that for the transition period he could imagine former German FA president and FIFA exco member Theo Zwanziger, or Wolfgang Niersbach, Zwanziger's successor in both positions, to head the world football's governing body. "Both would have the integrity for it," he added.
Later speaking to Swiss outlet SRF, Pieth called for a transition period of two to four years "to get FIFA back on its feet" and added that the chances for a new beginning have increased because Blatter's opponents "now need less energy to fight him."