FIFA Call Meeting to Discuss Play-Off Controversy (242 hits)
Sepp Blatter has called a crisis meeting of FIFA chiefs following Republic of Ireland's controversial World Cup exit at the hands of France but the world governing body is not considering a U-turn over its decision to refuse a replay.
GettyImages FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been labelled an "embarrassment" Blatter has called an extraordinary meeting of FIFA's executive committee to deal with the fall-out of the match in Paris where Thierry Henry's obvious handball led to the goal that caused Ireland's defeat in the play-off.
The meeting will also deal with the violence sparked by Egypt and Algeria's World Cup play-off and the hundreds of arrests across Europe by officers investigating corruption in football. It is understood that a replay of the Ireland v France match is not on the cards, with a senior FIFA source saying: "A replay is impossible - it would be against the rules of football."
But one possible outcome of the meeting could be a proposal to fast-track UEFA's current experiment in the Europa League of having an extra assistant referee behind each goal-line in time for next summer's World Cup finals...
