Suddenly there is this huge vacuum in our lives and we are having to readjust. After months of unremitting sports on the telly (the French Open, IPL, Wimbledon, the soccer World Cup) there is nothing today and it is depressing to return to the real world.

That said, I am one of those who was so relieved that one of the finalists scored before taking the big game into a penalty shoot out. That would have been a terrible end to a tournament that has highlighted some major flaws in the way the World Cup is organized. FIFA needs to engage in some major introspection and not dredge for virtue where none exists.

In the weeks to come there will be call by member nations for more transparency and accountability. The era (if one allows the pun) of it being Sepp’s ‘fifa-dom’ is ending.

Primarily, FIFA has to espouse technology and move into the modern era where errors can be eliminated by reference. Enough of this nonsense about the ‘human factor’ making it more exciting, a defense that is cleverly propagated and sanctified. How can making the wrong decision be a positive for the sport?

Then, there is a sound argument that can be made for the third and fourth place match to be dumped. Neither side wants to suffer the agony of coming out again and taking the field. It is of little consequence once you have missed the bus to the finals. You are down and out and third place is cold comfort. Give the two losers a joint third place, split their purse and knock the game off the fixtures.

By that very token, if you have to keep the penalties as the decision makers they need to be changed in format. The coldblooded spot kick has to be replaced by something more akin to playing football. Like they have done with field hockey. You get 8 seconds to bring the ball up from outside the penalty box semi-circle and outmaneuver the onrushing goalkeeper. This involves more tactical strength, a cool mindset, several choices for the goalkeeper to thwart the attack, all of which add up to a one on one effort that is more fair and demands skill, not luck. It is also visually more enjoyable than the execution as it exists now.

We also noticed there this no great advantage in not increasing substitutes if the game extends to the 30 minute extra time. Being given more liberty to exercise his options a coach can ‘up’ the ante by employing fresh legs and keeping the tempo from flagging.

These are only the problems on the field. But FIFA and Sepp Blatter have other major issues they must confront without being too sanguine that the ‘success’ of Brazil 2014 will deflect from these fractures. The doubts raised about the hanky panky in the sale of tickets, match fixing and corruption will not disappear. Once the hurly burly is done and the garlands dead these allegations will pick up speed.

Football does not need this. After the credibility of cricket was dented that game has been propped up by it being turned into a circus with the accompanying razzmatazz (colored bails, blinking wickets, dancing girls, funny costumes) in what is ostensibly an attempt to keep people coming to the stadium or tuning in.

This game does not need that despair. Once you get the feeling that the custodians of the game are all high and mighty and spray piety in their control of the tourneys but have a stable that stinks of scandal then as a fan you tend to lose faith. FIFA and the fan per se may come together again but once the crack is there it will never go away.

As investigations gain traction one of the riders in the rain will be about how Qatar was given the World Cup in 2022 knowing what the weather would be like. Just look at it this week and you have to mock the agreement for a summertime 64-match tournament even if it is played at midnight.

The way one sees it, the day of the 2014 finals could well be the last hurrah for the Blatter brigade.