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Fifa 'paid FAI to stop legal action over Henry's World Cup handball' Fifa 'paid FAI to stop legal action over Henry's World Cup handball'
(35 minutes later)
Fifa paid the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to stop legal action over Thierry Henry's handball in Ireland's World Cup play-off defeat by France in 2009, it has been claimed. Fifa paid the Football Association of Ireland 5m euros (£3.6m) to stop legal action over Thierry Henry's handball in Ireland's World Cup play-off defeat by France in 2009, it has been claimed.
FAI chief executive John Delaney said the association believed it had a legal case against Fifa. FAI chief executive John Delaney said the association believed it had a legal case against Fifa after France's win.
A fee was then agreed to drop the claim, Delaney said, after Ireland missed the 2010 finals in South Africa. Delaney said a "legitimate agreement" was made to drop the claim after Ireland missed South Africa 2010.
The fee was believed to be 5 million euros (£3.6m). Henry handled the ball in the build-up to William Gallas's decisive goal.
More follows The Republic of Ireland were 16 minutes away from a place in the 2010 finals before Gallas's extra-time equaliser in the second leg of the play-off in Paris.
The result sent France to the 2010 tournament, where they were knocked out of the group stages amid a player strike.
Delaney said he and Fifa president Sepp Blatter "came to an agreement" after Blatter publicly dismissed the country's appeal to be made a "33rd team" at the tournament.
"We felt we had a legal case against Fifa because of how the World Cup play-off hadn't worked out for us with the Henry handball," he said in a radio interview with Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ.
"Also the way Blatter behaved, if you remember on stage, having a snigger and having a laugh at us.
"I told him how I felt about him, there were some expletives used. We came to an agreement".
Delaney said that the deal was "all signed and done" four days after the meeting.
He added that he could not talk about the amount agreed due to a confidentiality agreement.
Asked if the payment was 5m euros, Delaney refused to deny the figure.
"It's a very good agreement for the FAI and a very legitimate agreement for the FAI," he said.
"It was a payment, an agreement not to proceed with a legal case."