When referee Slavko Vincic blew the final whistle at the World Cup on Sunday evening, it didn't just signal the end of one of the worst tournament finals in living memory, it also signalled the end of a competition that has met, and in many cases exceeded, a whole host of pre-tournament worries.
While there have undoubtedly been some great stories on the pitch, they are very much outweighed by the negatives that this tournament has produced, with controversy and allegations of corruption at the heart of a World Cup like no other before, and one that could have set football down a worrying path.
