DOHA, Qatar — For six long years, the Qatar World Cup has dominated Gianni Infantino’s thoughts. There had been months upon months of meticulous planning, delicate negotiation, seemingly incessant troubleshooting. Infantino, the president of FIFA, had dedicated his life to it. He had moved to the Gulf. He had, reportedly, enrolled two of his daughters in school here.
Now, at last, it was here. The tournament that had come to occupy his every waking moment was only a little more than 24 hours away, the slow-cooked reward for all of his effort and energy. Infantino, though, did not seem jubilant, or excited, or even just relieved.