Insight - As lawyers took control at FIFA, Blatter became increasingly isolated, powerless

ZURICH (Reuters) - FIFA President Sepp Blatter's loss of control of soccer's world governing body had been evident to staff in its hilltop glass headquarters here well before Thursday's announcement by FIFA's Ethics Committee that he had been suspended.

The Swiss national who has won five successive elections to dominate FIFA for 17 years had become increasingly isolated in the months following the U.S. indictment of 14 soccer officials and sports marketing executives on corruption charges in late May, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. The power had shifted to FIFA's lawyers and some external advisers.