The applause gave the game away. After hours of rumour and counter-rumour—who was voting this way, who was now voting that way—it was the applause in the room that forewarned of the impending, inevitable result.
Given 15 minutes to make a final address before voting commenced, the two FIFA presidential candidates struck markedly different tones. The challenger, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, talked (somewhat opaquely) of reform and redirection, of making FIFA an organisation that served the game of football, rather than one that had let its priorities become skewed the other way around.
“I know FIFA’s not just about one man and I will not lead it unilaterally,” Prince Ali said, the implication lying there suggested but not explicitly stated.