FIFA confirm that Ireland asked for World Cup spot

SEAN O' SHEA,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Monday, November 30, 2009, 10:43 AM

Updated Tuesday, December 1, 2009, 11:48 AM

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FIFA head Sepp Blatter

News / Liam Brady calls Sepp Blatter "an embarrassment to FIFA" / Click here

FIFA has revealed that the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) petitioned Sepp Blatter for a place at next year's World Cup.

The governing body confirmed the Irish request in a statement that read:

"The Football Association of Ireland today confirmed that it attended an hour and a half meeting, at its request, with Mr. Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA on Friday in Zurich.

"A lot was discussed at the meeting and at one stage the FAI asked if Ireland could be accommodated into the World Cup 2010.

"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.''

FIFA will meet on Wednesday in an extraordinary general meeting to mull over options to combat those who go against the spirit of the game.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has hinted that while the controversy in the Ireland/France game will herald changes, the boys in green would not be added to the roster of teams for next summer's finals.

"Naturally they [Ireland] were unhappy with what happened and asked very humbly whether they could be team number 33," he said

"I will bring it to the attention of the executive committee but if we do that, we will also have to bring in Costa Rica," continued Blatter referring to an offside decsion that went against the Costa Ricans in their playoff game against Uruguay.

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jacersisityourself | Dec 02, 2009, 03:10 PM EST

Downunderyan is right but ya can’t help the humour of the Irish! Even in Ozzie-land. Turty-turd is 33 in a Dublin accent - we don't pronounce the 'h', not even in 'The' or 'That' we say de or da. I just lurved dat story today of Charlize Tearon, the Hollywood star who will partake in d'official draw for the World Cup on Friday, in a practice run of the draw pulling ou' a ball and calling out “Oirleland”. A beaut of a joke to pull. Pi'y she din’t keep it for d'actual live draw. ‘Twuda been grea' for world-wide guffaws! - something we need in a world-wide recession...

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Downunderyan | Dec 01, 2009, 04:54 AM EST

I heard on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (National Broadcaster) sports report this morning that Herr Blatter (Blather?) referred to Irelands FAI request to be the 'turty turd' team in the World Cup. Not very nice or considerate to mock the Irish accent with an allusion to fecal matter. FIFA Fo Fum Sepp Blatter is a bum

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jacersisityourself | Nov 30, 2009, 06:06 PM EST

Well said McNabb. The sooner 'pope' Blatter and his 'cardinal' Platini depart the powerhouse of FIFA we might have a Fair Play sport again.

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McNabb1966 | Nov 30, 2009, 11:11 AM EST

I want to see Ireland in the World Cup too, but I don't like hearing that they "...asked very humbly whether they could be team number 33." WTF? Of course, that's Blatter's wording, so who knows what was really said. Ireland doesn't need to come groveling to FIFA for a favor. It would mean more in the long run if this fiasco (that is wholly FIFA's doing) results in FIFA being forced to acknowledge their malfeasance by instituting new reforms that nullify their previous nonsensical rules and prejudices.

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