The chief executive of Ireland’s soccer association said Thursday that FIFA had quietly paid compensation to his federation after a controversial hand ball by France’s Thierry Henry prevented Ireland from qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.
“We felt we had a legal case against FIFA because of how the World Cup hadn’t worked out because of the Henry hand ball,” the executive, John Delaney, said in an interview with RTE.
Delaney said he had raised the issue of relief for Ireland directly with FIFA’s president, Sepp Blatter, after Mr. Blatter shrugged off Ireland’s complaints immediately after the game.