A vote without a vote: the Saudi World Cup is an act of violence and disdain

The shamelessness of Fifa’s process was fully on show in Zurich during a display of contempt for governance, democracy, love, hope and good sense

Gianni Infantino’s address is broadcast on a screen during a ceremony in Riyadh

Well, that’s that then. In the event there were only two notes of jeopardy around Fifa’s extraordinary virtual congress to announce the winning mono-bids, the vote without a vote, for the right to host the 2030 and 2034 World Cups.

First, exactly how disgusting would this spectacle turn out to be in the flesh? The answer to which, perhaps unsurprisingly, was: extremely disgusting. And second, how would the process actually work?