Ireland didn't get to the World Cup, but Irish fans have a new champion in the form of Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron.
South African Charlize hosted the World Cup draw in front of millions of viewers across the globe last night, and made her feelings clear on France contesting the World Cup.
The star is in a long-term relationship with Irish actor Stuart Townsend and is a regular visitor to these shores.
Stuart is a fan of the Irish football team, and must have been disappointed by the controversial game between France and Ireland which saw cheating Thierry Henry's handball lead to the decisive goal which brought France to the World Cup.
Oscar winner Charlize was asked by tournament organisers to host the draw as she's from South Africa.
A host of sporting stars from across Africa and David Beckham were also asked to be involved.
South Africa are in group A -- and France were drawn in the same group. This prompted a number of boos in the auditorium, which led the actress to say: "Sometimes, I think 'no comment' speaks louder than words."
During rehearsals for the draw a day previously, Charlize jokingly pulled out Ireland for the draw to the embarrassment of the 'under-fire' FIFA president and his corporate stooges.
Shay Given has spoken for the first time about The France v Ireland World Cup play-off game and called the result and referee decision an 'injustice'.
Speaking to the Daily Mail Given said ‘Had the tables been turned and it’d happened to France I’d love to have seen the outcome. That’s an interesting question to ask with Michel Platini being the head of UEFA and Sepp Blatter up there. You’d love to know the outcome then, eh?’
Given is as unimpressed by Blatter as he is by Swedish referee Martin Hansson. The Donegal man is a phlegmatic character but this is a situation you feel he will never be able to relax about.
‘I still feel angry about the whole thing,’ he said. ‘All the stuff from FIFA and Sepp Blatter — just rubbish. A couple of days ago Blatter said he’d spoken to Henry and how it wasn’t his fault, it was the referee’s. A couple of days on and FIFA say they’re going to look into Henry.
‘Blatter didn’t have the decency to ring up our captain, Robbie Keane, and say, “I’m really sorry”. Blatter’s saying, “Oh, I’ve just spoken to Thierry and it’s all OK”. All the Irish players are sitting thinking, “Oh, well done, brilliant. Just rub more salt in the wound, why don’t you?”
'I can’t get over it, I’ve had so many sleepless nights just thinking about it. And they show it on TV 20 times a day so it’s hard to forget. I know we’ve to move on but then we’ll get it again next year when the World Cup’s on. It just beggars belief.
‘The officials have said since it wasn’t their fault. What can you say? It’s all a load of b*******. And all that rabbiting on from Blatter? That’s b******* as well.
‘It’s hard to explain, even now to you. My sister says she’s not slept. Everyone is really hurt by it all. They say it’s only a game of football but it’s more than that with something like this.’
At this stage we all accept that it is the nearest Ireland will get to the World Cup draw.
Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron (34) yesterday pulled an 'Ireland' ball out of the bowl during a rehearsal for the much-anticipated draw, which will take place in Cape Town tomorrow. Ms Theron, whose long-term partner is Irish actor Stuart Townsend, pulled out the 'Ireland' ball instead of a 'France' ball. No doubt the discredited president of FIFA Sepp Blatter would not have seen the funny side as his organisation and its Fair Play code have been badly tarnished by Blatter's support for Henry and his recent admission that he cheated himself as an amateur player, and found it acceptable behaviour.
Theron was having a laugh at FIFA's expense after the recent Contraversy when Thierry Henry helped cheat his way to the World Cup finals in the play-off game against Ireland.
"Yes, she did, but it was only a joke," FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said.
On the day Fifa killed off any chance the rule changes the Football Association Of Ireland has been calling for might be introduced in time for next summer’s World Cup, John Delaney, The FAI chief described the game’s governing body as the “biggest losers” in the controversy that has followed the play-off game in Paris and Sepp Blatter (sort of) apologised for the “wrong interpretation” of his comments regarding the association’s request to be added to the line-up for the event.
Members of Fifa’s executive committee did not, in the end, get the opportunity to follow their president’s lead by laughing at the Irish association’s request after the FAI sent word they would prefer the matter was not considered. At least in this regard Blatter and co were able to accommodate their colleagues in Abbotstown.
The key elements of Delaney’s submission in Zurich; that video be used to assist referees, that extra match officials be used and that the rules of the game should be reviewed so as to allow for the retrospective punishment of players who commit game-changing offences, were effectively disregarded, however.
Thierry Henry’s blatant handball offence in Paris is to become the subject of a disciplinary hearing but the organisation announced that the other issues shall be referred to a variety of committees who will examine the merits of introducing video evidence and additional match officials at some point after this World Cup.
Delaney reacted angrily, meanwhile, both to Blatter’s decision to make public the association’s request to be handed a place at next summer’s finals and the Fifa president’s demeanour as he did it.
“Well, it (Blatter’s laughter) was inappropriate and it was disrespectful to our country,” he said. “It was a confidential meeting we had last Friday, everybody agreed that it would be a confidential meeting, so when you have that it means that everything is kept indoors.
“The suggestion about a 33rd team or an extra team playing at the World Cup was very much peripheral to the conversations that took place. There was an hour and a half of a meeting and I think that was discussed maybe for a minute or two within the hour and a half. And there were far more substantial issues discussed than that issue.
“What he chose to do was breach confidentiality in a way that suited him – in an a la carte fashion – and I was disappointed that a president of Fifa would behave in such a way.”
Blatter, meanwhile, provided a wonderfully 'qualified' expression of regret for everybody else’s behaviour in relation to his handling of the matter. “I would like to express my regrets,” he said, “to a wrong interpretation of what I said and, to the FAI, I’m sorry about the headlines going around the world. I have nothing against the Irish, they were very sporting when they came to Fifa.”
That barely seemed adequate for Delaney who said that he had contacted his opposite number at Fifa, general secretary Jerome Valcke, to complain about Monday’s carry on in Cape Town.
“I gather that Blatter has apologised today. And he should do because he insulted us as a country. I tried to impress upon him last Friday the hurt that was in our country over how the whole Henry incident had affected our ability to qualify for the World Cup, and he clearly didn’t understand that given the way he acted subsequently.”
Discredited Fifa president Sepp Blatter has issued an apology to the Football Association of Ireland after he was accused of breaking assurances of private discussions regarding the ongoing World Cup saga.
The row erupted in the continuing fall-out from Ireland's elimination by France after Thierry Henry's now infamous handball.
FAI claimed Blatter had gone against his word by making the talks public knowledge and that it was asked for the subject of a 33rd team in next summer's finals to be ignored at Wednesday's meeting of Fifa's executive committee in Cape Town.
The accusation came after Blatter had originally raised the subject at the Soccerex business conference in Johannesburg earlier this week and his words were greeted with laughter from some delegates and businessmen present.
Bungling Blatter said: "In this connection I would like to express my regrets - my regrets to a wrong interpretation of what I have said in the Soccerex.
"I have only announced they have asked it, but the presence in the Soccerex they don't took it very, I would say, seriously.
"So I regret what I have created and especially towards the Irish Football Association, I am sorry about these headlines going around the world.
"Contrary I have nothing against the Irish, they were very sporting people when they came to Fifa and it is a pity that it has been now communicated in this way.
Blatter's half-hearted apology is unlikely to quell the growing unease at his poor leadership over the last few weeks and his personal comments have made a mockery of FIFA's so called Fair Play code.
Ireland assistant manager Liam Brady has blasted FIFA president Sepp Blatter for revealing the supposedly confidential details of a meeting with the FAI.
Speaking at a conference in South Africa, Blatter stated that the Irish had enquired at the meeting as to the possibility of being invited to next summer's World Cup as a '33rd nation' after their controversial play-off exit at the hands of France.
Blatter was seen to join in with the laughter that this news created at the meeting, and Brady is disgusted with the FIFA president.
"I was told that the FAI went to a supposedly private meeting with Mr Blatter and officials from FIFA a couple of evenings ago," he told Sky Sports News.
"I don't think they believed that Mr Blatter was going to reveal what was said at the meeting. I believe that they agreed it would be confidential.
"But I'm afraid Mr Blatter is a bit of a law unto himself.
"I thought he was very disrespectful how he presented this fact the other day at a business conference in South Africa.
"He totally ignored most of the controversial things that went on that evening. He never had anything to say about those at all. Like Henry's behaviour after scoring that goal and how that stands within his campaign to have fair play within the game.
"You see the goal and Henry celebrates as if he's done nothing wrong.
"Is that fair play? Hardly. But Mr Blatter chose to talk about our request to be considered as the 33rd team.
"I think when we asked for that we knew there was very little chance of that happening. We asked because we wanted to have them respond in a measured way and see what they had to say.
"After all Mr Blatter is responsible for the officials. He didn't say anything about the appalling mistake the official made to miss such a blatant handball.
"He didn't even have the grace to acknowledge the behaviour of the Irish players after the game. Not one player got booked after that incident, not one player got booked after the match.
"There were 20,000 Irish fans in the stadium. Not one fan caused trouble in the stadium in Paris that night, or in the city that night.
"Now I think my country deserves a little more recognition from Blatter than the way he presented it to the press conference in South Africa yesterday.
"I think the man is a bit of a loose cannon and embarrassment to FIFA."
Brady was also disgusted with the way in which Blatter had seemed to treat the matter as a joke in South Africa, and his revelations had been greeted with laughter by some of the audience.
"The way he presented it was bound to be," Brady added.
"He was presenting it to business people, and he's very close to business people. I think people will be watching Mr Blatter and his decisions very closely from now on.
"And of course England will have a lot to do with him, because they're trying to get the World Cup in 2018 and Mr Blatter will have a big say in that."
Brady also hinted at a broader conspiracy in favour of the bigger European sides.
"I've been a player and gone to Paris a couple of times and been on the wrong end of decisions," he said.
"I think when it comes to the big teams and big business in football you'll find that they usually get the decisions.
"Forget about that. We can accept that. What we can't accept is how he's presented the case to the media in South Africa yesterday.
"He needs to show some respect."
Ireland legend Ray Houghton has branded FIFA president Sepp Blatter ' a disgrace' and accused him of ridiculing the Irish public after laughing at, and blowing out of proportion the FAI's request to be the 33rd team at the World Cup finals. The FAI are said to be bemused by the manner in which Blatter highlighted that particular aspect of the meeting (33rd team) and, privately, are well aware that it's a fanciful notion. Nor, when they actually met with FIFA last Friday, did the FAI propose any kind of mechanism for accommodating an extra team in the World Cup finals in South Africa'
Indeed, a written submission made by the FAI to FIFA contained no mention of that suggestion and instead focused on improvements to the game such as video technology, extra officials and sanctions for individuals who bend the rules. 'In fact, in their written submission to FIFA preceding the meeting, the FAI had not even mentioned the idea of filling an extra berth at next summer’s finals in South Africa, instead concentrating on issues designed to prevent incidents such as the controversial French goal in Paris from occurring again.
Blatter and the executive committee chuckled as he announced this and Houghton, who won 73 Irish caps, said: 'What he's doing is taking the mickey out of the Irish public as if they don't really matter.
'It's a disgrace. They were laughing at the Irish public which is shocking. The players worked so hard for two years to get to the World Cup and then some fellow's laughing about it and he's the head of FIFA.
'I can't believe he's in the position he is. When you're looking for leadership qualities and someone to make a stand...what's going to happen to Thierry Henry? Nothing.
'What we're saying now is that you can cheat and score and it's alright. That sends out the wrong message to the kids and what we need is someone to say 'this is not going to happen.'
Ex-Liverpool & Aston Villa midfielder Houghton added: 'I think had it been England involved it would have been very similar to Ireland because FIFA don't think too highly of the English.
'Blatter's quick to criticise Premier League clubs for spending too much money but I didn't hear too much when Real Madrid spent £80 million on Ronaldo and £60 million on Kaka. Blatter didn't say the Spanish were spending too much.
'If it was France, Germany or Spain and certainly Brazil or Argentina there would have been mayhem. You only have to look at what they did to the play-off seedings.
'The biggest tournament in the world and they left it until three weeks before the play-offs to decide there would be seeds
'When you look at the way he's treated Ireland and the competition it underlines how he has not led FIFA particularly well. He's a man who does what he wants even though I couldn't tell you what he does. To be ridiculed twice, laughing at the Irish after the seedings change, is shocking.'
Blatter was roundly criticised for his silence last week and made his first foray into the global storm with comments in 'L'Equipe' on Sunday detailing correspondence with Thierry Henry and effectively absolving the French skipper while blaming match referee Hansson. "I definitely gained an advantage by pulling a defender's jersey in order to score a goal. And I didn't go and see the referee to tell him about it," said Blatter, in a slightly unfortunate reference to his days as an amateur player.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter has revealed that he telephoned France captain Thierry Henry to offer him support over his controversial handball in the World Cup play-off win over Ireland.
"I called Thierry, because he tried to get in touch with me," Blatter told French newspaper L'Equipe.
"He was honest by admitting that he did use his hand, but it wasn't his responsibility to tell the referee.
"When I was a centre forward in my junior team, I definitely gained an advantage by pulling a defender's jersey in order to score a goal. And I didn't go and see the referee to tell him about it."
Blatter's remarks are incredible as he seems to be condoning cheating within the game & it certainly makes a mockery of FIFA's Fair Play code.
To quote Blatter prior to the start of the World Cup qualifying campaign - 'Fair play should come before anything else ... These qualifying matches must epitomise fair play. They should encapsulate the sporting, moral and ethical principles for which Fifa has always stood. And they must leave a lasting impression!".
Blatter's words sound very hollow considering he has basically said that cheating is fine as long as you don't get caught.
Its difficult to see how he can support Fair Play within the game on the one hand and on the other, ring the perpetrator of the cheating to console him and offer him his support.
Article one of the FIFA fair play code reads as follows : "Winning is without value if victory has been achieved unfairly or dishonestly. Cheating is easy, but brings no pleasure. Playing fair requires courage and character. It is also more satisfying. Fair play always has its reward, even when the game is lost. Playing fair earns respect, while cheating only brings shame. Remember: it is only a game. And games are pointless unless played fairly."
The Fifa president had previously refused to comment on the incident, prompting criticism from Football Association of Ireland (FAI) chief executive John Delaney.
France's play-off with Ireland was poised at 1-1 on aggregate in the second leg in Paris when Henry controlled the ball with his hand twice before teeing up William Gallas for the decisive goal,the linesman had a clear view of the Henry handball yet for some reason failed to make any signal to the referree about the act of blatant cheating by the French forward. The cheating incident sparked furious protests from the Irish players that were taken up by the Irish government. The revelation that Blatter personally contacted Henry follows soon after the announcement by UEFA boss Michel Platini that the play-off's for the next European Qualifying Championships will be weighted heavily in favour of the bigger nations, with the play-off draw being seeded and the teams offered the chance to play the second leg at home.
In a decision sure to prompt anger in many European countries, European football’s governing body UEFA has confirmed that not only will the play-offs for the 2012 European Championships be seeded — but the seeded teams will then be guaranteed home advantage in the second leg.
The Irish Examiner has learned that FAI chief executive John Delaney has already written to UEFA to express his concern about the plan. While opposed in principle to the seeding of the play-offs, the FAI boss is understood to be especially concerned about the decision to give home advantage to the seeded team in the return leg.
With the dust on Ireland’s controversial defeat to France in the World Cup play-off still settling, the UEFA initiative will be widely interpreted as further evidence that, far from promoting concepts of fair play, football’s international authorities appear determined to load the dice in favour of the game’s big powers.
The FAI and Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni were dismayed when FIFA belatedly announced that the draw for the recent World Cup play-offs would be seeded, the decision from Zurich only confirmed in late September when it became clear that European football superpowers such as Portugal and France were unlikely to progress automatically to the cup finals in South Africa.
Then, in what was regarded by Trapattoni as a further obstacle to his team’s chances of progressing, the bad luck of the draw gave the French home advantage in the second leg — although, as things turned out in the Stade de France last Wednesday, it ultimately took a travesty of justice to ensure the home side’s progress.
But, for the play-offs for the Euro finals in Poland and Ukraine in 2012, the home and away factor will not even be left to chance, with UEFA yesterday confirming that the seeded teams will automatically get to play the return match at home.
In response to an inquiry from this newspaper, a UEFA spokesperson referenced article 7.07 of the governing body’s regulations for the 2012 European Championship. After stating that the eight runners-up in qualifying will contest play-off matches, Article 7.07 — with the devil, as ever, in the detail — continues: "The four ties are determined by means of a draw. The four runners-up with the best position in the UEFA national team coefficient ranking system are seeded for the draw. The play-offs are played according to the knockout system, with each team playing each opponent twice, in home and away matches. The seeded teams play the return match at home. The teams which score the greater aggregate of goals in the two matches qualify for the final tournament."
Perhaps the only small consolation is that, at least this time, the FAI, in common with all the other European associations, have been appraised of the play-off rules well before their national teams even start out on the long road to Poland and Ukraine.
Giovanni Trapattoni also knows that his team already faces an uphill task before the qualifying draw takes place in February, with UEFA having confirmed last week that Ireland will be third seeds when the balls go into the pots in Warsaw, alongside Northern Ireland, Scotland, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Norway, Austria and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The UEFA coefficients which determined these seedings are based on a complicated system involving performances in the 2006 World Cup finals and preceding qualifying campaign, Euro 2008 and its qualifying campaign and 2010 World Cup qualifying. But, although UEFA say that "more recent results are given greater consideration", Ireland’s unbeaten run in the regulation World Cup qualifying campaign was still evidently not enough to get them a place as second seeds alongside the likes of Czech Republic, Romania, Sweden and Turkey — all of whom failed to even make the play-offs.
The qualifying campaign for Euro 2012 will comprise six groups of six teams and three groups of five. The nine winners and best runner-up will qualify directly for the finals, with eight remaining runners-up contesting the play-offs. As co-hosts, Poland and Ukraine qualify automatically.
The draw takes place in Warsaw on February 7.
Ireland have been forced to admit defeat in their efforts to be granted a replay of their World Cup play-off clash with France.
Having seen FIFA reject their appeals to have the second leg of the tie replayed because of Thierry Henry's handball in the run-up to William Gallas' decisive goal, the Football Association of Ireland, backed by both French skipper Henry and Ireland captain Robbie Keane, had turned to the French Football Federation.
However, the FFF have ruled out the possibility, and France will now take their place in next summer's finals in South Africa while Ireland will remain at home, the victims of what they believe has been a gross miscarriage of justice.FAI chief executive John Delaney said today: 'We regret that despite our best efforts for a replay, which would have restored the integrity of the game in front of a world-wide audience, our calls appear to have fallen on deaf ears at the French Football Federation.
'Without doubt, the credibility of fair play has been damaged by this incident in front of a worldwide audience.
'Despite our deep disappointment, we thank our players, the wonderful Irish fans and the Irish public at large for their support, as well as the solidarity of the French people.
'We will continue to call on FIFA to take action to ensure that such damaging examples of cheating are not allowed to recur
Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni has vented his fury at FIFA in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
'I would like to know what have I done to (Sepp) Blatter,' Trapattoni said. 'If he explains it to me at least I would be calm.
'I often go to schools and speak of fair play. Perhaps I am a dreamer. FIFA has violated the rules imposing top seeded teams in the play-offs. It's treachery.
'I think even (UEFA president Michel) Platini was against this revolution.'
Trapattoni continues to play Wednesday's events over and over in his mind.
'There's this double handball from Henry on Gallas' goal and on top of that (Sebastien) Squillaci was offside,' Trapattoni said.
'It's murder.
'Even a blind man would have seen the double handball by Henry. The linesman was on line as the images show and he had perfect vision.
'I am certain that Mr Hansson (the referee) was in contact with the fourth official and to those who were looking at the images in slow motion.
'Why, when he understood that he had made a mistake, did he not change his mind? I think the time has come to have tv replays for these extreme cases. In 30 seconds you avoid colossal errors.'
Trapattoni had harsh words for the referee. 'FIFA has done a great job,' he said. 'For France v Ireland, you needed a top referee, instead they have sent a Hansson nobody.'
Ireland will face a daunting World Cup play-off clash against one of Europe's top teams after FIFA made a dramatic u-turn and confirmed they will use a seeding system for the European play-offs.
After a FIFA meeting in Rio de Janeiro last night, President Sepp Blatter confirmed: "We have decided on seeding the teams into two groups of four, taking the Fifa world rankings into account, with the top four in one pot and the others in another pot."
"There will be a separate draw to decide home and away," he added of the two-leg ties to determine four European places at the 2010 finals in South Africa.
FIFA originally planned to host an open draw for the eight best runners-up in the nine European groups, but with the likes of Germany, France and Portugal all in danger of securing a play-off spot, at best, FIFA have decided to employ a seeding system.
That would certainly leave Giovanni Trapattoni's men, currently ranked 38th, in the second tier should they secure second spot in Group 8, with Russia, Croatia, Greece and Serbia also potential opponents this November.
Irish fans would have been hoping for a kind draw against the likes of Slovenia, Bosnia or Slovakia, but that possibility now seems unlikely if FIFA stick to their guns.
It is believed the prospect of a World Cup tournament without commercial heavyweights Germany prompted the u-turn. However, FAI Chief Executive John Delaney remains optimistic about Ireland's chances in spite of the revised seeding system.
Speaking in today's Irish Daily Mail, Delaney insisted: "I'm not too sure where that [seeded draw] will place us but we've got concentrate first on what we've got to do.
"We've got to try and beat Italy and take it to the last game. And if we end up in the play-offs, we'd have been delighted to have got to the play-offs at the start of the group and we'll take what we get."
He added: "All I will say is that and team who finishes second mustn't have been top team in their group, obviously. So it gives you a chance."
FIFA President Sepp Blatter seems to have finally 'Put To Bed' any prospect of the Football authorities in the North blocking prospective young international footballers from the North of Ireland, from representing Giovanni Trapattoni’s Ireland on the international stage.
President Blatter, who was in Newcastle, County Down for an International Football Association board meeting, was unequivocal in his belief that players from the North are clearly eligible to play for Ireland and he backed the FAI’s stance that it is working within FIFA’s rules when selecting players from throughout the Island of Ireland and he stated yesterday “ We will propose that any player born in the North can play for the South too”
Blatter revealed that FIFA’s legal committee will inform the board later this month that any player born on the island of Ireland will continue to be free to represent Ireland at international level.
As revealed by Blatter yesterday:
“As the Legal Committee understands it, the situation is such that all Northern Irish footballers could opt to play for both teams, given that they have a birthright to an Irish passport. Evidently, the same is not applicable to the footballers of the Republic, who do not have such a claim”.
The whole saga has reached farcical proportions at times during the last number of years with the North’s international manager Nigel Worthington personally ringing players and basically offering senior caps if players returned to play for his team.
The IFA are likely to react with anger over FIFA’s decision, even though they have consistently failed to acknowledge, and ignore the fact that, for a large proportion of football supporters in the North, Giovanni Trapattoni’s Ireland always have, and always will be their No.1 international choice.
The natural knock-on effect of this support is that young prospective internationals growing up in the North, will want to play for the team who they have grown up supporting and following, as was the case For Co. Antrim Ireland u21 international Marc Wilson.
The hypocrisy of the IFA stance on eligibility is best represented by their German born goalkeeper Maik Taylor, who despite have no parental or grandparent linkage to the team, has represented the North on over seventy occasions during the last ten years.
And in more recent times the North’s Under 21 manager Steve Beaglenhole has spoken of his confidence in attracting England under 19 internationals Chris Stokes and Oliver Norwood into his set-up.
This is clearly a common sense decision from FIFA and will further solidify the link between Trapattoni’s Ireland and a large section of the footballing public North of the border.
The last word is best left to Portsmouth’s County Antrim born midfielder Marc Wilson, who said in a recent article "I think everybody has their own personal reasons for wanting to play for the Republic or the North. I grew up supporting the Republic so it was a comfortable decision for me."
