A possible ban for Thierry Henry for the start of the World Cup finals is a possibility after FIFA announced they will refer his handball to their disciplinary committee. The incident involving the France striker in the World Cup play-off against the Republic of Ireland was the subject of detailed discussion in an emergency meeting of the FIFA executive committee in Cape Town on Wednesday.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said: "The disciplinary will open a case on the behaviour of the player Thierry Henry."

Asked why FIFA were making a special case of Henry, he added: "This is a matter of the disciplinary committee and it's not a question of this player or another - it was a blatant unfair playing and was shown all around the world, but I don't know what the outcome will be."