FIFA Want the Big Nations at the World Cup and Deny Ireland the Replay They Deserved

It appears Ireland will not be at the World Cup in 2010. The question is, were they really given a fair crack at it? And after that infamous handball by Thierry Henry should FIFA have thrown the rulebook out the window and handed Ireland their replay, because it was the right and ethical thing to do.

In my view, that is exactly what they should have done and for doing otherwise makes them as bad as Henry for handling the ball in the first place. I would also go on to say that in my opinion, if the roles were reversed FIFA would have replayed the game without a moment's hesitation.

But it's fair to say that that FIFA got exactly what they wanted out of this World Cup situation. As soon as the last qualification game was played, FIFA set up a system to ensure all the bigger nations would be in South Africa. They did this by seeding the Play-offs.

Now the likes of Portugal and France messed up in qualification, why do they suddenly deserve special treatment? And why can't a big nation be eliminated? But those decisions were made and surprise surprise, the big nations got through.

Now it would make sense to make teams like France and Portugal, top seeds in the World Cup draw. But no, FIFA put them in pot four instead. The reason is this increases the probability that they will be drawn against England. And make no mistake; FIFA would absolutely love it if England were eliminated in the group stage. FIFA can harp on about the rulebook or their like, but at the end of the day they will change the rules in an instant when it suits them.

Hopefully, though, they can get one thing right. And introduce video technology, ahead of any ridiculous notion to introduce multiple referees. More officials will overcomplicate and increase the possibility of human error. It is about time, the world's most popular sport, received some help from technology they can give a definitive answer and not just an opinion.