As the Irish Sea raged and the rain lashed down on the Ireland training base at Malahide, near Dublin, yesterday, Liam Brady, the assistant manager, launched head first into the eye of a storm.
By calling on the referees to be firm and fair during the two legs of the World Cup play-off between Ireland and France, Brady only heaped further pressure on Felix Brych and Martin Hansson, the match officials.
Brady fell foul of many a controversial refereeing decision during his playing days with Ireland, from 1974 to 1990, and does not want any repetition as the countries do battle for a ticket to the finals in South Africa next year.
That Fifa, the sport’s world governing body, made a late announcement that the play-off draw in Zurich last month would be seeded strengthened Brady’s fears that the “bigger” teams, such as France, are receiving preferential treatment.
”I have had experience of playing against the French in tournaments going back 20 years and the one thing you didn’t get was good referees,” Brady said. “Now the focus is on them, particularly as Fifa changed the seedings in the play-offs and made it easier for the more glamorous teams.
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”The referees are at the top of their game, they’re both Champions League referees, and the spotlight will be on them. I’m pleased about that because it is a very important aspect. They will be thoroughly scrutinised and we expect better refereeing than when I was a player.”
Brych, 34, a German doctor in law, will officiate the first leg at Croke Park tomorrow night. He took charge of the 1-1 Champions League draw between AC Milan and Real Madrid in the San Siro last week.
Hansson, 38, a Swedish firefighter, will referee the return leg at the Stade de France in Paris on Wednesday evening. He awarded a dubious stoppage-time penalty, converted by Steven Gerrard, in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid at Anfield, also in the Champions League, last season. He later received death threats.
Irish fans unable to travel to Paris are facing a television black-out, with the French football federation asking for a fee of about €1.5 million for the screening rights. RTE, the Irish broadcaster, has offered only €600,000 but it is hoping to reach a compromise. “Negotiations are ongoing,” a spokesperson said.
Richard Dunne, the Aston Villa and Ireland central defender, is hoping that the “Green Army” of travelling fans will be out in force in the Stade de France and that the notoriously fickle French supporters will turn on the home side.
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”I think the France fans just expect them to qualify and that’s it,” Dunne said. “If we go there and our crowd is singing and their crowd is booing, it’s not going to help them at all. We know it’s going to be difficult but we know that there’s not one of us who will come off the pitch next Wednesday not having given everything.”