FIFA have confirmed they made a $5 million payment to the
Football Association of Ireland after Thierry Henry's handball stopped Ireland
qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.
Details of the deal first emerged in an interview FAI chief
executive John Delaney gave to RTE Radio 1 on Thursday.
"We felt we had a legal case against FIFA because of
how the World Cup play-off hadn't worked out for us with the Henry
handball," Delaney said.
"We came to an agreement. That was a Thursday and on
Monday, the agreement was all signed and all done. It was a payment to the
association to not proceed with a legal case."
FIFA later issued a statement explaining: "While the
referee's decision is final, and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI)
ultimately accepted it as such, in January 2010 FIFA entered into an agreement
with FAI in order to put an end to any claims against FIFA.
"FIFA granted FAI a loan of USD 5 million for the
construction of a stadium in Ireland. At the same time, UEFA also granted the
FAI funds for the same stadium.
"The terms agreed between FIFA and the FAI were that
the loan would be reimbursed if Ireland qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
"Ireland did not so qualify. Because of this, and in
view of the FAI's financial situation, FIFA decided to write off the loan as
per 31 December 2014."
France qualified for the 2010 World Cup at Ireland's expense
after Henry blatantly handled the ball as he set up William Gallas for the
decisive goal in a play-off match in Paris in November 2009.
Delaney's claim comes amid a corruption scandal engulfing
FIFA that has seen FIFA executives arrested, president Sepp Blatter announce
his resignation and former executive committee member Chuck Blazer admit to
paying bribes.
Delaney said that Blatter's behaviour at the Soccerex
football conference in Johannesburg 11 days after the match had hardened his
resolve over the matter of compensation.
"The way Blatter behaved, if you remember on stage,
having a snigger and having a laugh at us..." he said.
"That day when I went in (to discuss the agreement),
and I told him how I felt about him, there were some expletives used."
Henry was derided as a cheat in the aftermath of the match
at the Stade de France, which ended in a 1-1 draw that saw France win 2-1 on
aggregate.
The FAI and the Irish government unsuccessfully petitioned
world governing body FIFA for the game to be replayed or for Ireland to be
admitted to the World Cup in South Africa as a '33rd team'.
Henry, then with Barcelona, backed Ireland's calls for a
replay and declared himself "extremely sorry", but rejected the
accusation that he was a cheat.
France went on to endure a disastrous World Cup, crashing
out in the group phase after the players went on strike in protest at striker
Nicolas Anelka's exclusion from the squad for clashing with coach Raymond
Domenech.
Culled from AFP
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