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Delaney: Henry handball 'arrangement' between Fifa and FAI is confidential

Delaney and the FAI will back Prince Ali in today’s Fifa presidential election.

JOHN DELANEY REFUSED to reveal any details of the “arrangement” between the FAI and Fifa following Thierry Henry’s controversial handball.

It had previously been reported that the FAI received a €5 million payment following the incident which saw Ireland miss out on a place at the 2010 World Cup.

In 2014 the Irish Sun said that the windfall “was initially provided as a loan before being converted into a grant” and was designed “to get the FAI off [Sepp Blatter's] back.”

“There was a legal case we had against Fifa at the time,” CEO Delaney said on RTÉ Radio 1 on Friday morning.

There was an arrangement that was come to but it certainly wasn’t bestowing patronage to us.

“That is confidential for the moment but what I will say is that at no stage have we ever voted in favour of Blatter. We have been consistent in that and I have as well.”


Morning Ireland / SoundCloud

Delaney’s comments came as delegates prepare to re-elect Blatter for a fifth presidential term amid ongoing criminal investigations into world football’s governing body.

The FAI has publicly declared its support for his only challenger, Prince Ali bin al Hussein of Jordan.

- Originally posted at 14.14, updated at 15.00.

There’s been a bomb scare at the hotel where the Fifa congress is happening

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Niall Kelly
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