"I am an optimist," Blatter told reporters ahead of the world football body's annual congress. "I am sure you will see at the congress that we are back in the harbour, not heaven yet, but we are taking more people on board and are heading to calm, clearer waters.
"The change began over the last year, or when the Ethics Committee started to act, and we have lost, directly or indirectly five members of the executive committee. That is a big number and new people have come in."
This year's Congress, set for Thursday and Friday in the Hungarian capital, will be presented with a new set of statutes aimed at making FIFA more transparent.
Bin Hammam of Qatar, one of the game's rich power-brokers, was due to stand against Blatter for the FIFA presidency but withdrew his candidature days before the vote and was later banned from football for life by FIFA for trying to bribe Caribbean delegates to vote against the Swiss.
"New faces have come in, new people - and they speak up, they intervene, they are playing a very big part," said Blatter, 76.
New members include young Jordanian Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, Lydia Nsereka of Burundi - the first woman co-opted to FIFA's executive committee since it was formed 108 years ago - Jeff Webb of the Cayman Islands and Zhang Jilong of China.
"The Caribbean Football Union have just had their congress and they call it a "congress of reconciliation," Blatter added.
"Things are moving forwards. It is changing."
"For me it's the end of what was happening there," he said. "The dogs may still be barking but the caravan has left town."
Blatter was also pleased about the addition of Nsereka, who is expected to become a full member of the committee at next year's Congress in Mauritius.
"There was a big discussion about this," he said. "It was not so easy to convince a male-dominated committee to have a woman but she has been the president of her country's FA since 2004. She is a member of the International Olympic Committee, she is a businesswoman, she is a princess, she is very knowle
