It had been long suspected, and hoped by many, that the full publication of the Garcia report – the investigation into alleged corruption within Fifa in relation to the bidding process for the World Cups of 2018 and 2022 – would contain a ‘smoking gun’. A revelation that would explain how the tournament had come to be awarded to both Russia and Qatar, and expose corruption at the heart of the voting process.

Those sympathetic to the tarnished ideals that Fifa purported to stand for, hoped too that full disclosure would wipe the slate clean for the organisation to begin the gargantuan task of restoring a measure of creditability in the eyes of a sceptical football public.

In the end, neither of these scenarios entirely came to pass.

Yes, possible corruption was uncovered. Three members of the Fifa executive committee who voted for Qatar were found to have been flown to Rio in a private jet provided by the Qatari Football Association for a party. A former member of the executive board expressed gratitude for the transfer of "several hundred thousand euros” while extending congratulations to the Qataris.

And perhaps the most eyebrow-raising revelation came in the form of Fifa member Ricardo Teixeira’s 10-year-old daughter, who was the recipient of $2million into her savings account from an unknown origin, alleged in the report to be linked to disgraced former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell.

But with no direct link to a bid being established, there was no revelation that seriously threatened the staging of either World Cup in Russia or Qatar.

It was an embarrassing episode for the English FA though, as it was revealed that their own bid had been less than squeaky clean, particularly in relation to their fawning acceptance of the ludicrous demands of Trinidad & Tobago Fifa member Jack Warner.

It is alleged that when Warner asked Lord Triesman and David Dein to sort out a job for the son of a friend for instance, he duly found summer work at Tottenham and Wembley.

So, while the report didn’t conclusively prove that the bidding processes for either tournament should be re-run, neither did it eradicate the suspicious stench that there was vital information that Michael J. Garcia was not privy to. It must be remembered that just five of the 22 Fifa ExCo members granted a vote, and therefore the only people with first-hand knowledge of any bribes or corruption, offered full co-operation with the investigation.

And Fifa, despite their dubious insistence that they were going to publish the full report in any case, only decided to do so after German newspaper Bild obtained a copy.

Still, for Jim Boyce, the former Fifa vice-president, the report represents an opportunity to draw a line in the sand, and move on to a new era of transparency under the guidance of new president, Gianni Infantino.

“I have long called for the publication of the Garcia Report,” Boyce told Herald Sport. “I felt it was essential to get it out in the open in order for Fifa to start the process of restoring its reputation.

“In terms of the actual content, what I would say is that appropriate action should now be taken against anyone who has been found to have acted in a corrupt or illegal manner.

“There is no escaping the fact that the name of Fifa has been tarnished, and it really saddens me that when anyone or anything is linked to Fifa, there is an automatic presumption of some form of corruption. That’s how toxic the name has become.

“But, at least it is now out there, and hopefully Fifa can now move on from this whole wretched affair."