Fears of TV blackout for key football play-off

IRISH football fans could be facing a TV blackout in the crucial World Cup play-off with France because of a major financial feud between the FAI and its French counterparts.

With little more than a week to go before the vital second-leg showdown at the Stade de France in Paris, Irish TV broadcasting rights for the match have yet to be secured.

Under FIFA rules, the home nation for each leg of the two-game play-off has the right to negotiate the price of the match it is hosting.