A last-minute winner?

Standing at the auditorium balcony and watching the delegations arrive for FIFA’s Zero Hour.

Below, the Dutch/Belgians are showing their passes, led by Ruud Gullit.

Outside, a small crowd’s gathered in the snow and sunshine to watch the sleek black cars disgorge their expensive payloads – “football’s world family” as FIFA like to call them.

All around me here tripods and cameras heading to the auditorium where the verdicts will be handed down from 4pm onwards Swiss time.

There, a press conference by the winners. Losers leave to parade around the “mix zone” past pens containing media contingents of interested parties.

I imagine these interviews might be on the terse side. Winners then come along too – I imagine they’ll be hard to shut up.

Much being made of last minute blows for both Russian and English bids. The Vlad Putin no-show interpreted as sensing the world’s biggest country has not won.

Equally events in Birmingham last night will have proved to FIFA’s 22 voters what the English game knows but the but doesn’t say: English hoolies haven’t gone away.

An awkward truth, that dare not speak its name from the lips of William, Dave and Dave.

Eddie Afekafe’s affable, honest performance on the park though, a real plus for England’s live, final audition before FIFA this morning.

Beckham also sincere and moving even, about his grandfather and what the game has given.

Cameron – perhaps too smooth, too fluent for comfort. Lacked edge and credible passion I felt – but others differ.

William – well if Royalty floats your boat you’ll be adrift and aswoon. It felt wooden to me.

But who knows? Who really knows what gives within the minds of FIFA’s bruderbonded team of 22?