adminLONDON. — The Irish FA were paid five million Euros by FIFA not to sue over the World Cup play-off defeat in 2009 by France when Thierry Henry handled the ball.
It is the latest astonishing revelation in the wake of the scandal engulfing FIFA which has seen president Sepp Blatter quit.
Henry stopped the ball going out of play with his hand, before crossing for William Gallas to score in extra-time. The game in Paris in 2009 ended 1-1 after with France progressing 2-1 on aggregate to the finals in South Africa, causing outrage in Ireland and beyond.
Blatter revealed the FAI had asked the governing body to be handed a “33rd place” in the World Cup finals at a confidential meeting to discuss a possible replay. But chief executive John Delaney has revealed what happened. “It was a payment to the association . . . not to proceed with a legal case,” he said on Thursday.
“We felt we had a legal case against FIFA because of how the World Cup hadn’t worked out because of the Thierry Henry handball, also the way Blatter behaved on stage, having a snigger, having a laugh at us. — The Daily Express.
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