All of the critiques of this tournament have proven valid and warranted, even as the action on the pitch has delighted us • Predict the winner | Daily podcast | Download our appThe football has taken over. Ultimately, that’s what always happens. Football is an incredibly resilient sport, the World Cup an incredibly resilient tournament. It has withstood authoritarian leaders and corruption scandals, the horrific exploitation of migrant workers and military dictatorships, and it looks as though it will survive sky-high ticket prices and immigration policies that make a mockery of Gianni Infantino’s claim that this is the most inclusive World Cup of all time.This is not to say that those are not major issues. The situation with Iran has been unique, but the treatment of the team has been outrageous. That they could pass through the tournament unbeaten, eliminated only because of a last-gasp Austria goal against Algeria, is…

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