5 mln dollars paid to Ireland over Henry's handball, admits FIFA

FIFA admitted Thursday to giving Ireland 5 million dollars in compensation for missing a place at the 2010 World Cup after Thierry Henry's handball set up France's winning goal.

FIFA disclosed the payment after the money was mentioned in a radio interview by Football Association of Ireland (FAI) chief executive John Delaney.

Neither FIFA nor the FAI had previously disclosed the agreement to avoid legal action following the 2009 playoff game.

The revelation was made two days after FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced that he will resign. Blatter, who has headed FIFA since 1998, was re-elected to a fifth term last Friday despite criminal investigations into FIFA that included U.S. criminal charges against executive committee members and arrests at the FIFA Congress in Zurich.

In November 2009, Ireland was furious that Henry's handball in extra time enabled William Gallas to score and give France a 2-1 aggregate win and a place in the 32-nation field in Brazil. Swedish referee Martin Hansson was criticized heavily for not making a handball call.

FIFA rejected requests by the FAI that the game be replayed and Ireland be added to the field as an extra team. The compensation deal risks setting a precedent that other disgruntled teams could try to apply if in-game decisions go against them.

"In January 2010 FIFA entered into an agreement with FAI in order to put an end to any claims against FIFA," FIFA said in a statement. "FIFA granted FAI a loan of 5 million dollars for the construction of a stadium in Ireland. At the same time, UEFA also granted the FAI funds for the same stadium."

The 56,000 seat Aviva Stadium was built on the site of the Lansdowne Road national stadium and opened in 2010.

The FAI responded to the FIFA statement by calling the payment a "legal settlement agreement" rather than a loan and saying it was 5 million euros not 5 million dollars, as FIFA said. Endi