There was still a residue of outrage in the reaction when the 2034 World Cup was handed to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. There were still good people who raged against the machine. Most of all, though, there was sad, grim resignation.
As soon as it had become clear the Saudis wanted to host the tournament, everyone knew it was a done deal. With FIFA, money is the only thing that matters. And money doesn’t just talk when the Saudis get involved with sport. It shouts from the rooftops.
It buys everything and everyone. It was instructive last week to see the cast of all-time great fighters the Saudis corralled to attend the ‘Battle of the Baddest’ between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou in Riyadh.