Patrick Barclay: What does it matter who takes over FIFA?

An event of monumental irrelevance takes place tomorrow. After it, football will always be the same again.

I refer, of course, to the election of Sepp Blatter’s successor as president of FIFA. If you care who wins, you are an unusual — and possibly misguided — person.

A growing threat to favourite Sheikh Salman, according to some of the jaundiced eyes who professionally scan such matters, is Gianni Infantino, now supported by the English and Scottish FAs.

He is the right-hand man of Michel Platini, very much identifiable with the policies followed by UEFA before that organisation’s president was banned from football along with Blatter.

You might call Infantino the ice in the Platini cocktail. He is cool and hard. The only time I ever saw him crack even slightly was when Platini, addressing where Blatter had gone wrong during one of the playful Frenchman’s late-summer briefings in Monaco, delivered the opinion that leadership in football should never again arise from the ranks of the administration.

Everyone knew where to look. Infantino was sitting next to Platini — and the inadvertent raising of his eyebrows provided the perfect punchline. Platini joined in the laughter and Infantino did his best to.