Former Liverpool and Fulham star Ray Houghton has slammed FIFA president Sepp Blatter after laughing at the Football Association of Ireland's request to be the 33rd team at the World Cup finals.

Blatter and the executive committee chuckled as he announced this and Houghton, who won 73 Irish caps, told the Daily Mail: "What he's doing is taking the mickey out of the Irish public as if they don't really matter.

"It's a disgrace. They were laughing at the Irish public which is shocking. The players worked so hard for two years to get to the World Cup and then some fellow's laughing about it and he's the head of FIFA.

"I can' t believe he's in the position he is. When you're looking for leadership qualities and someone to make a stand...what's going to happen to Thierry Henry? Nothing.

"What we're saying now is that you can cheat and score and it's alright. That sends out the wrong message to the kids and what we need is someone to say 'this is not going to happen."

Houghton added: "I think had it been England involved it would have been very similar to Ireland because FIFA don't think too highly of the English.

"Blatter's quick to criticise Premier League clubs for spending too much money but I didn't hear too much when Real Madrid spent £80 million on Ronaldo and £60 million on Kaka. Blatter didn't say the Spanish were spending too much.

"If it was France, Germany or Spain and certainly Brazil or Argentina there would have been mayhem. You only have to look at what they did to the play-off seedings.

"The biggest tournament in the world and they left it until three weeks before the play-offs to decide there would be seeds.

"When you look at the way he's treated Ireland and the competition it underlines how he has not led FIFA particularly well. He's a man who does what he wants even though I couldn't tell you what he does. To be ridiculed twice, laughing at the Irish after the seedings change, is shocking."