After hosting a football World Cup brimming with home-brewed bonhomie, Russia's next sporting objective is a somewhat less friendly exercise aimed at harming Britain. Or rather, one Briton in particular.

So the FIFA World Cup, which ended yesterday with France lifting the trophy for the second time with a 4-2 victory over Croatia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, was officially the greatest in the tournament's 88-year history.

If I have learnt anything from the FIFA World Cup, it is that Croatia and Iceland have populations of 4.3 million and 344,000 respectively.

It is little wonder the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its Coordination Commission for Tokyo 2020 seem to relish visits to the Japanese capital to inspect preparations for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

There will be two World Cup finals this weekend - France v Croatia in Moscow, and an Athletics World Cup at the London Stadium.

Last week I travelled to Lausanne to cover the International Association of Athletics Federations Diamond League meeting there, and as I walked down in blazing sunshine from the station to the athletes' hotel by the side of Lake Leman, I passed cafes full of intent television viewers. Switzerland were playing Sweden in their World Cup match of 16.

A strange phenomenon infiltrated my country last month, as we looked forward to Russia 2018: for probably the first time I can remember, the England football team approached a major tournament without seemingly the entire male population from Lindisfarne to Mevagissey thinking they could win it.

I make the suggestion in the headline somewhat tongue in cheek of course, but I can't help feeling that Britain's beleaguered Prime Minister Theresa May has scored another massive own goal in insisting on a political and diplomatic boycott of the World Cup in Russia, especially now that Gareth Southgate's young lions are doing the nation so proud. 

Violence and foul play was an enduring theme across sport last week, with differing incidents occupying varying levels on the fighting-ometer.

I must admit Worlds Collide does seem a fitting anthem to sum up the collaboration of the International Volleyball Federation and Grammy award winning DJ duo NERVO.

There have been plenty of surprises during this FIFA World Cup so far - but Vladimir Putin and Russia using the tournament to earn political capital is not one of them.

Never mind that they came away with three gold medals, many will feel that the simple fact that Kosovo were in Tarragona for the 2018 Mediterranean Games was an achievement in itself.

Who will win this weird, occasionally wonderful, and still wide-open football World Cup?

Far be it from me to decry any move towards greater transparency, but I cannot help wondering whether the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s decision to draw attention this week to publication of its updated Host City Contract will have the desired effect.