FAIscore important early 'goal' for Ireland

IRELAND scored an important early "goal" when the FAI team persuaded their five World Cup opponents to travel to Dublin for the fixtures meeting on Tuesday, February 3.

The FAI delegation initially met some resistance, but when it was pointed out that Ireland will next year hold the presidency of the European Union they made a point that carried some weight. The FAI had finalised a deal for televised coverage of their matches prior to the draw through their agent, Lawrence St John. Chief executive Fran Rooney said the addition of the World Cup matches to a deal put in place a few years ago meant an overall package worth up to E7m to the association.

Mr Rooney said the obvious problem was in relation to a suitable venue for the matches, particularly the match against France, and the officers will have important discussions with manager Brian Kerr before the fixtures meeting.