Fifa paid Ireland $5m ‘hush money’ over Thierry Henry handball

The Football Association of Ireland revealed it was paid several million pounds by Fifa in order to stop it taking legal action over Thierry Henry’s infamous World Cup handball.

The ‘hush money’ was authorised by Fifa president Sepp Blatter in order to stop the Irish seeking compensation after Swedish referee Martin Hansson failed to spot Henry’s blatant handball in the build-up to France’s winning goal in the second leg of a play-off to qualify for the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

Henry was vilified in Ireland for deliberately controlling a free-kick with his hand before setting up William Gallas to score the goal that gave France a 2-1 aggregate victory that booked their place in the finals.

Although Fifa always maintained the decision of a referee was final, it decided to protect itself against potential legal action from the FAI by offering it a reported $5 million (Dh18 million) if it agreed not to pursue the matter in the courts.

Jim Boyce, who stepped down as Britain’s Fifa vice-president last week, labelled the payment “ridiculous” and said there should be a full investigation into such “arbitrary” payments.

Boyce, from Northern Ireland, said: “I’m absolutely astounded — I have never heard anything as ridiculous in my life. If a payment of $5 million has been paid because of a handball and threatened legal action, then I hope a full investigation will be carried out into this and any other such arbitrary payments.”

Ireland had initially asked in private whether Fifa could let them play in the World Cup finals as a 33rd team, a request that Blatter mocked publicly on stage in front of Fifa delegates. The Irish were incensed by the snub and, after a no-holds-barred meeting with Blatter, he made the cash concession.

Ireland’s failure to reach the World Cup finals in South Africa the following year cost the FAI millions in lost revenue and chief executive John Delaney admitted in an interview with RTE Radio on Thursday that the Fifa payment had bought their silence.

“We felt we had a legal case against Fifa because of how the World Cup hadn’t worked out for us with the Henry handball,” Delaney said. “Also the way Blatter behaved, if you remember on stage, when he had a snigger and a laugh at us.

“That day when I went into him and told him how I felt about him, there were some expletives used, we came to an agreement. That [agreement] was on a Thursday and by Monday it was all signed. It’s a very good agreement for the FAI, a very legitimate agreement for the FAI.

“In that agreement they put a confidentiality agreement that I can’t talk about the amount involved. You [the media] have used a figure there, but it was a very good, legitimate figure for the FAI. It was a payment to the association not to proceed with a legal case.”

The payment was sanctioned by Blatter, who announced he would step down as president last week amid an ongoing FBI investigation into Fifa corruption, and sets a dangerous precedent for the game’s governing body. Should international teams suffer defeats because of poor decisions by match officials in the future, they may also seek compensation.

Fifa said in a statement on Thursday night: “While the referee’s decision is final, and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) ultimately accepted it as such, in Jan 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 $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 Dec 31 2014.”

Delaney, who is no stranger to controversy and was recorded singing an anti-English song in a bar last year, has been a long-standing opponent of Blatter. He revealed on Thursday just how uncomfortable the departing Fifa president made people feel when he recalled how he felt the Swiss had harassed his girlfriend at a function.

“He met Emma, my partner, in Vienna recently,” Delaney said. “He stared at her for seven or eight seconds and he said, ‘I approve of your new girlfriend’. I asked him to move on, move on please. She is a great girl, I love her very much, it was an extraordinary moment. He stared at her and I said ‘move on’ and he did.”

— The Daily Telegraph