Ireland boss Trapattoni lambasts Blatter, Platini
Republic of Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni launched an attack on FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA counterpart Michel Platini after France's World Cup playoff victory.
The Italian says even a blind man could have seen Thierry Henry handle the ball in the build-up to France's crucial goal in Wednesday night's play-off match.
The goal by William Gallas ensured a 2-1 aggregate win to break Irish hearts.
"I would like to know what bad I've done to Blatter," the 70-year-old toldGazzetta dello Sport. "If someone could explain that to me at least I'd be calm.
"Often at schools I hear talk of fair play. Maybe I'm a dreamer. FIFA violated its own rules by making the top seeded teams play in the play-offs.
"It's treachery. I think even (UEFA president Michel) Platini was against this revolution."
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Results & Fixtures
Matches
| Home | Away | Score | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat Feb 4th | |||
| Arsenal | Blackburn Rovers | - | 13:00 |
| Stoke City | Sunderland | - | 15:00 |
| Newcastle United | Aston Villa | - | 15:00 |
| West Bromwich Albion | Swansea City | - | 15:00 |
| Chelsea | Manchester United | - | 15:00 |
| Norwich City | Bolton Wanderers | - | 15:00 |
| Wigan Athletic | Everton | - | 15:00 |
| Liverpool | Tottenham Hotspur | - | 15:00 |
| Queens Park Rangers | Wolverhampton Wanderers | - | 15:00 |
| Manchester City | Fulham | - | 17:30 |
| Sun Feb 5th | |||
| Newcastle United | Aston Villa | - | 13:30 |
| Chelsea | Manchester United | - | 16:00 |
| Mon Feb 6th | |||
| Liverpool | Tottenham Hotspur | - | 20:00 |
Tables
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | 23 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 41 | 54 |
| Manchester United | 23 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 35 | 54 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 23 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 49 |
| Chelsea | 23 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 42 |
| Newcastle United | 23 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 39 |
| Liverpool | 23 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 38 |
| Arsenal | 23 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 37 |
| Sunderland | 23 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 30 |
| Stoke City | 23 | 8 | 6 | 9 | -12 | 30 |
| Everton | 23 | 8 | 5 | 10 | -3 | 29 |
| Norwich City | 23 | 7 | 8 | 8 | -7 | 29 |
| Aston Villa | 23 | 6 | 10 | 7 | -3 | 28 |
| Fulham | 23 | 6 | 9 | 8 | -3 | 27 |
| Swansea City | 23 | 6 | 9 | 8 | -4 | 27 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 23 | 7 | 5 | 11 | -9 | 26 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 23 | 5 | 6 | 12 | -15 | 21 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 23 | 6 | 2 | 15 | -19 | 20 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 23 | 4 | 6 | 13 | -14 | 18 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 23 | 4 | 6 | 13 | -18 | 18 |
| Wigan Athletic | 23 | 3 | 6 | 14 | -28 | 15 |
Comments (6)
spot on trap, blatter is the scourge of football - he stands for nothing to do with fair play. he has consistantly abused his power as president over the years with backhanders and other shady dealings. the man is a crook and a fraud and most in the game know this. with this guy at the helm how can there be any hope 4 the future of the game, he is only interested in continuing to line his pockets and those of whom are already in them. It is astonishing to me that this supposed advocate of fair play, our outspoken ambassador of the sport has nothing to say on either the henry incident or the fact that FIFA decided that second placed teams in the qualifying groups would no longer be drawn out of a hat but be seeded due to FIFA rankings which are very duious to say the least. To do this just prior to the draw cannot fail to raise some serious questions about the powers that be and the integrity of this association. Could it be that the thought of some of the european heavyweights flailing in qualification caused Mr.FIFA to reconsider the rules of qualification for the good of the game, CASH. When I see the FIFA fairplay flag carried out before each game in june it will be followed by a sense of disgust.
FIFA have moved to make the World Cup almost as sham like as the Champions League. While it's still a prestigious tournament, it is geared towards clubs with bigger reputations. Gone are the days when teams like Hamburg and Red Star Belgrade could put a run together and lift the trophy. It's a shame in some ways, as it taints the spectacle slightly, even if it would be at the expense of a Barcelona - Chelsea game for instance.
controversial decisions went Ireland's way in the qualifying campaign, not least a harsh penalty award against Georgia which helped them to clinch a 2-1 qualifying win in February....one of the worst decisions ever.didnt hear them offering a reply then????
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