International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on the success of the FIFA World Cup and claimed it was time to bring "Russian sport fully back into the international sports community" following the Sochi 2014 doping scandal.

Belgium finished their participation at the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup by comfortably winning the third place play-off 2-0 against England in Saint Petersburg.

FIFA have claimed analysis of all doping tests conducted before and during the Russia 2018 World Cup have produced negative results to date.

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.

Croatia have found themselves at the centre of a diplomatic row with Russia, forcing them to send home an assistant coach who posted a pro-Ukraine video which has angered the host country.

It began with a speech on 4 July in 2007 in Guatemala and it will end with handshakes, disappointment, joy and presentation of a small gold trophy in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on 15 July 2018.

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.

Russian officials have claimed the alleged poisoning of two people with the nerve agent Novichok is being used by Britain to undermine the ongoing FIFA World Cup as the Kremlin denied any involvement in the incident.

Stadiums during the FIFA World Cup group stages were 98 per cent full on average, according to world football's governing body.

Substitute Nacer Chadli scored a dramatic injury-time winner as Belgium fought back from two goals down to beat Japan 3-2 and set up a FIFA World Cup quarter-final with Brazil in Russia.

FIFA has fined World Cup host nation Russia CHF10,000 (£7,700/$10,000/€8,600) after their fans displayed a discriminatory banner during the Group A defeat to Uruguay.

A collective sigh of disappointment was audible across the footballing world yesterday as fans woke up to a troubling realisation.

Oddly, I was looking at Sir Stanley Matthews’ autobiography early yesterday - The Way It Was, a fine book stuffed with precious detail that I have read twice and plan to enjoy again (A doctor writes…).