Ireland have appealed to world governing body FIFA to be allowed to compete as a 33rd team in next year`s World Cup finals, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Monday.
|Last Updated: Nov 30, 2009, 06:53 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Johannesburg: Ireland have appealed to world governing body FIFA to be allowed to compete as a 33rd team in next year`s World Cup finals, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Monday.
Although the inclusion of an unprecedented extra team would cause serious logistical problems including extra un-scheduled matches, Blatter said the FIFA executive committee would consider Ireland`s request at their extra-ordinary meeting on Wednesday.
Ireland were eliminated from the competition earlier this month by France after Thierry Henry handled the ball in the build-up to William Gallas`s equaliser that gave France a 1-1 draw and a 2-1 aggregate playoff win.
"We received a delegation from Ireland at FIFA and they were naturally absolutely unhappy at what has happened. They know the match cannot be replayed and the decision of the referee is final," Blatter told a keynote address at the Soccerex business conference.
"Naturally they have not asked for any sanctions to be given to any player or the referee, but they have asked, very humbly `can`t we be team No.33 at the World Cup? They have asked for that, really.
"I will bring it to the attention of the Executive Committee. I cannot confirm what will happen, but I will report it to the executive committee."
In a statement the FAI confirmed that it made the request to Blatter when a delegation met him in Zurich last Friday. "A lot was discussed at the meeting and at one stage the FAI asked if Ireland could be accommodated into the World Cup 2010," said the statement.
However Irish sources have privately acknowledged they are not expecting their request to be successful, but have asked FIFA to consider compensating them in some other way in future, perhaps by being seeded in the draw for the 2014 finals.
The statement continued: "Other suggestions were also made to mitigate against further occurrences of such incidents, including the use of additional goal line assistant referees for FIFA international matches, further use of video technology for matches at the highest level, stronger provisions to discourage players from engaging in such blatant breaches of the Laws of the Game and provisions to strengthen referee selection for such important matches." The draw for what is still likely to be a 32-team World Cup will take place in Cape Town on Friday.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.