The festive cup goes to Putin's Russia – Why it's the best organized edition of the FIFA World Cup since 2006

When Ivan Rakitic inflicted the last decisive penalty on Igor Akinfeyev, in the dark night of Sochi, it was the end of the World Cup adventure. It was not the end of the Russian World Cup, but it was the beginning of the end.

Until Rakitic strikes, the 2018 World Cup had been a long and exciting and spectacular charge up. Now, with the hosts expelled from the road, starts the regular run through the semi-finals on Tuesday and Wednesday at the final denouement next Sunday in Luzhniki – where it all started long ago on June 14th.

As far as possible in a world of human fallibility, a World Cup approached by a dark cloud of derision and suspicion was an unequivocal success for the Russian organizers, for the besieged Fifa and, above all, for the badociative football himself

Putin is not a football fan. But shortly after he came to power, he had recognized the value of sport as a soft power weapon, as a way to "humanize" the international image of a country that Winston Churchill described as an "enigma shrouded in a mystery inside an enigma".

This is how a "Sports Decade" project was created under the leadership of then Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko. This meant bidding, winning and hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, a Formula 1 car race and a host of other international championships.

The 2018 World Cup was supposed to be the culmination of the victory. Except that it did not work like that.

Some were political and military, such as the annexation of Crimea and East of Ukraine as well as support for President Assad in the bloody war in Syria. All this provoked international sanctions of reprisals and a fall in the value of the ruble

. Other issues were sporting, including the scandal of the Fifa World Cup awards and the revelations about extensive doping. the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games

The mix of political and sporting controversies turned out to be toxic but the World Cup contracts had been signed and sealed in 2010 and 2011. For Fifa, even if he had wished, there was no possible return.

In the midst of all anti-Russian paranoia, however, the organizational competence of the country has never been questioned. Thus, Russia has delivered the most effectively organized World Cup since Germany in 2006, which makes the South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014 shabby by comparison.

By the way, the US police western sector – created a festive atmosphere previously unknown in one of the reception centers, many of which had been "closed towns" it does not have. not so long ago.

As a seasoned Russian journalist, Mexicans, Peruvians and Costa Ricans around Red Square asked in astonishment: "Where did Moscow go?"

For Fifa, these finals were a godsend. The world federation has gone through a decade torn by scandals. He had only to be blamed, allowing officials to focus not on football, but on personal greed and rights – VIP seats, jets, five-star accommodations, offshore accounts – to make fun of the ruling body of the game.

Jules Rimet, French founder of the World Cup and President of Fifa for 30 years, had to turn in circles in his grave.

Fifa did not come out of the woods. Far from there. He has in Gianni Infantino a Swiss president whose selfish style of leadership has raised doubts even among those who considered it a wise choice two years ago. But the administration of FIFA has facilitated the success of the tournament from the point of view of football.

The most notable progress has been the introduction of video badistance for referees. The number of sanctions has doubled and a lot of wrong decisions have been corrected. Observers who feared that Fifa would rush forward were wrong.

Fair play has been well served even though some aspects of the disrepute – game-action, harbadment of referees – have not been addressed.

The willingness of the vast majority of players and coaches to embrace this new world has contributed immeasurably to one of the most entertaining World Cups for over 30 years.

The increase in the number of teams over the last four decades The quality quotient is now being repaired by the people who matter most, the players.

Few individual matches from South Africa and Brazil stand out in memory. But Russia has produced a flow from the opening of Saudi Arabia's five goals against Icelandic defender Leo Messi and the magnificent 3-3 draw between Spain and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.

Terrible warnings to bring us the remarkable return of Belgium against Japan, the dismissal of Argentina by France and the surprising sight of Harry Kane's young England – so long in the doldrums – reaching the last four.

Germany, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar.

The kings are dead, long live the king: the football itself.