Soccer: Brazil 0 - France 0 FIFA's centenary has been marked with all the branding brilliance of Manchester United - everything from FIFA centennial coffee table books, gold ingots, coins, medals and cufflinks down to FIFA pins, pens, umbrellas and mouse pads.
Then along came France and Brazil last night here in Saint-Denis with a reminder that the likes of Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane boast a status to which successive FIFA presidents, from the initiating Robert Guerin to the incumbent Sepp Blatter, can never attain.
The centenary match between France and the World Cup-holders finished a diplomatically goalless draw, yet the magical footwork of Zidane and Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and Roberto Carlos, said more about the beautiful game in 90 minutes for the 79,344 fans than all the assembled dignitaries of 204 national associations in 90 meetings.
Not that Blatter and Co did not try hard to upstage them. FIFA hosted a lavish birthday party in the bowels of the Louvre with more self-congratulatory razzmatazz than modesty.
Bertrand Delanoe, the mayor of Paris, took advantage to extol the sporting virtues of the French capital to a captive audience, including the IOC managing board. He did not quite say, "We deserve the 2012 Olympic Games rather than London or Madrid or Moscow", but the message was clear.
France and Brazil created - and wasted - plenty of scoring chances. But the closest either side came to scoring was when Roberto Carlos wrapped a shot against Gregory Coupet's left-hand post after 66 minutes.
Before and after that both sides created clear-cut scoring chances that usually-lethal finishers like Henry and Sylvain Wiltord of France and Ronaldo and Ronaldinho of the world champions score with ease.
All were guilty of some glaring misses in a game that in the main was played in a competitive spirit, even if the players wore replica kit from the early 20th century to mark the occasion in the first half.
The match, between the two countries who have won the last three World Cups between them, was noticeable for a sublime display by Zidane, before he went off after 68 minutes.
Despite the air of festivity surrounding the match it was a useful workout for both teams who face important matches in the next few weeks. France defend their European crown at Euro 2004 in Portugal and Brazil face Argentina in an important World Cup qualifier.
FRANCE: Coupet, Thuram, Gallas, Boumsong, Desailly (Mendy 46), Makelele, Vieira, Pires (Wiltord 46), Zidane (Kapo 69), Henry, Trezeguet. Subs Not Used: Landreau, Armand, Mexes, Dacourt, Pedretti, Govou, Luyindula, Saha.
BRAZIL: Dida, Cris, Edmilson, Luisao, Carlos, Cafu, Juninho (Julio Baptista 79), Ze Roberto (Edu 46), Kaka (Alex 46), Ronaldinho, Ronaldo. Subs Not Used: Fabio, Roque Junior, Junior, Belletti, Juan, Silva, Kleberson, Adriano.
Referee: M E M Gonzalez (Spain).
