Has the world cup gone well? better than it was thought? Human Rights seem to be lost now in the sea of football, has FIFA's reputation been bettered or worsened. I cannot decide how it has gone really, empty seats but they have managed to make the stadiums full enough to get around it. On the pitch, the old guard countries are having a bit of a mare generally.

I think if everything had gone to plan, without the shock results and the controversy on the pitch, then the human rights story would have run and run. FIFA has been saved by the unpredictability.

I admit that I was pretty apathetic to the tournament at the start and expected to just watch the England, and possibly Spain, games. But now I´m into it and actively planning my days around taking in the 8th finals!

I was listening to five live on the way to the RLWC final, on the day the head of FIFA gave that loony speech. One of the journalists said that as soon as the football got going everybody would "forget" the controversy, just like in 2018.
He was right.