The World Cup in Qatar provided some welcome and genuine shocks on the field of play, but a lot of the issues encountered off it felt depressingly predictable.
Morocco’s success was a huge positive for Africa and the Arab world especially, and for the first time every continent was represented in the last 16. Lionel Messi sparkled, the sun shone and fans from all over the world partied peacefully as Argentina ultimately prevailed as World Cup winners after beating France in a penalty shoot-out following a pulsating final.
