Fifa, world football’s governing body, has made itself a global joke. In a day that would have stretched the imagination of the writers of the BBC’s Olympic comedy Twenty Twelve, it has suppressed its own report into the circumstances surrounding the decision to award the 2018 and 2022 world cups to Russia and Qatar respectively. The summary published instead was immediately disavowed as erroneous and incomplete by the man who conducted the investigation, the US prosecutor Michael Garcia. The summary exonerated Fifa, Qatar, Russia and almost every other participant in the bid process except England’s FA. Fifa is no stranger to farce. But the levers for change remain frustratingly out of reach.

Mr Garcia brought a reputation acquired as an effective and diligent prosecutor in New York to his investigation of the bid process. But with no power to compel witnesses, nor to demand the production of documents, it was all too easy for the bidders to make their excuses. Many of those involved opted for less than total disclosure, most egregiously the Russians, who explained that they could produce no emails as they had rented the laptops they used and these had subsequently been destroyed. But the FA, with the regrettable exception of the then FA boss, Lord Triesman, did cooperate. Its reward for exposing the detail of this inglorious episode in its history, which included raising £3m from hard-pressed local councils, is to be held up for criticism for inappropriate spending. Australia was criticised on similar grounds.

Even more absurdly, the 42-page summary, prepared by the German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert who chairs the adjudication arm of the ethics committee, confirms many of the allegations of corruption made at the time of the votes on the World Cup. But its overall conclusion is that the process was sound. A long list of charges alleging Qatari involvement in corruption were largely upheld, but – according to Mr Eckert – despite involving millions of pounds they were not enough to have compromised the bid process. Nor was there enough evidence to support any charges at all against Russia. Fifa has seized the moment to declare the whole affair of the World Cup votes closed.

Not if Mr Garcia has his way. He is demanding that as much as possible of his 430-page report is published, without compromising the anonymity he promised to whistleblowers. Unfortunately his only recourse is an appeal to another Fifa committee. He should publish regardless. But while that may provide further confirmation of Fifa’s dodgy dealings, the record suggests it’s unlikely to lead to reform. The prospect of an FBI investigation – one of the triggers that led to the overhaul of the International Olympic Committee after the Salt Lake City scandal – could jolt the executive committee into action. A coordinated threat to Fifa’s income from TV rights and sponsorship would add pressure. And the FA itself might finally recognise its responsibility to football’s fans and lead a boycott of Fifa, withdrawing in all but name from the committees and procedures of the tawdry, discredited outfit that represents the world’s favourite game.