Long-time lurker, here. Anyway, I’ve always loved the World Cup. A break from watching football and having to really, really care. I want England to do well, and enjoy the raft of matches, but it’s not essential to my soul. Like Everton are.

But too much around this summer’s tournament is leaving me cold. I’ll watch, but with the unhappy sense that FIFA would stick a sponsor on the trophy itself if they thought they could get away with it.

World Cups used to feel exciting. Like a holiday. This one feels… ominous. A depressing foretaste of things to come. Or already here, I dunno.