Fifa paid FA of Ireland ‘€5m’ to not pursue legal action over Thierry Henry handball in World Cup qualifier
‘Fifa paid the Football Association of Ireland a figure reported to be €5m to not pursue legal action in relation to Thierry Henry’s World Cup play-off handball, the chief executive of the Football Association of Ireland has confirmed.
John Delaney has said that the FAI were paid the money after a meeting between himself and Sepp Blatter in the aftermath of the incident that denied Ireland a place at the 2010 World Cup. The payment had been reported before, but this is the first time it has been confirmed.
Henry handled the ball in the build-up to France’s winning goal by William Gallas against the Republic of Ireland in the second-leg of their qualifier for the 2010 tournament in South Africa. It led to an outpouring of anger from the football community that France, who were abysmal at the following tournament, escaped punishment.’
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