Republic of Ireland players did not want Fifa’s cash, says John O’Shea• John O’Shea says players wanted a replay, not a payment
• Controversy still rages over France v Ireland World Cup tie
• Fifa payment after Thierry Henry handball was ‘for new stadium’
John O'Shea poured scorn on the suggestion that the Irish players should have received cash after the Thierry Henry's handball in the World Cup qualifier.
John O’Shea has ridiculed Raymond Domenech’s suggestion that Fifa’s €5m (£3.67m) “inducement” to the FAI should have been shared among Republic of Ireland players, insisting Giovanni Trapattoni’s team would have wanted a replay against France in 2009 rather than financial gain.
The Ireland defender and the manager, Martin O’Neill, both avoided criticism of, or even an opinion on, the latest controversy to engulf Fifa, as well as the Football Association of Ireland chief executive, John Delaney, at a press conference to preview Sunday’s friendly against England in Dublin.
The FAI are under fierce scrutiny following Delaney’s admission it accepted €5m in exchange for dropping a legal challenge over Ireland’s controversial elimination from qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. In response to pressure from Enda Kenny, the taoiseach, it has published a copy of a confidentiality agreement reached with world football’s disgraced governing body that describes the payment as an “inducement”.
O’Neill and O’Shea followed the line that the assistant manager, Roy Keane, aired on Friday by insisting their only focus is on England and then Saturday’s European Championship qualifier at home to Scotland. But O’Shea rounded on Domenech, the France manager when Thierry Henry handled in the buildup to the defining equaliser in 2009.
“It’s easy for him to say that now,” said the Sunderland defender, who was part of Trapattoni’s team in Paris. “The important thing from our point of view is that the FAI have made everything as clear as possible. For the France manager to come out now is very easy, it’s ridiculous. Ideally what the players would have wanted, if anything was to have come out of it, was a replay, not any monetary benefit.
“The game was done and dusted and these things happen. But the FAI have made things clear and the players are just focused on two very important games. I’m not going into all this.”
The former Republic player Keith Andrews claimed the country’s dignity has been lost as a result of accepting the payment, while Trapattoni said he refused to shake Sepp Blatter’s hand when the Fifa president offered him “a way to forget”.
The confidentiality agreement released by the FAI states: “On or before 15 January, 2010, Fifa and FAI have entered into a loan agreement over ¤5m as an inducement for the FAI to enter into this agreement.
“Further, the FAI will receive an additional Goal Project in the amount of US$400,000 [in addition to] the one executed in 2009.”
O’Neill maintained he is happy to continue working with Delaney and committed to the task of trying to qualify for Euro 2016 in France, with Ireland fourth in Group D following defeat by Scotland and a home draw with leaders Poland.
The manager said: “John Delaney brought me into the FAI. He wanted me to manage the side and I was delighted to be asked to do so. I am looking to see that through. That’s what I want to do. I haven’t had any discussion on the political side with John or the FAI board at any stage. The FAI board gave me this opportunity to manage the team and I was delighted to take it. I want to take it forward on the football side as much as I possibly can.”
O’Neill indicated he will field several Championship players against England, including the Ipswich striker Daryl Murphy, given that many have not played competitive football for a month and need playing time before the Scotland game. The Ireland manager also said Roy Hodgson can experiment with younger players as England are “almost certainties” to qualify for Euro 2016.
He also said he hoped for no repeat of the violence that disgraced England on their last visit to Dublin in 1995.
“I’m hoping the crowd will be behaved and there’s something on the field for them to cheer about and I’m hoping that times have moved on from 20 years ago,” said O’Neill. “No one wants to see the scenes of 20 years ago.”
Guardian
