Former FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce on Friday called for an inquiry into football ruling body’s payment of 5 million euros (5.6 million dollars) to the Irish FA.
The loan was in connection with Ireland’s World Cup qualifying exit in 2009 after Thierry Henry’s infamous handball.
“How anyone can authorise a payment of 5 million to stop legal proceedings is totally beyond me,’’ Boyce, a FIFA vice-president for Britain whose four-year term ended last week, was quoted by British media as saying.
“If this was authorised by the president of FIFA without the knowledge of the executive committee – this is something that has to be looked into.
“If a payment of 5 million has been paid because of a handball and threatened legal action, then I hope a full investigation will be carried out into this and any other such arbitrary payments.’’
FAI chief executive John Delaney who revealed the payment on Thursday night, agreed upon to stop Ireland from suing FIFA for World Cup 2010 inclusion over the Henry incident in a play-off match between Ireland and France.
Thierry’s handball allowed William Gallas to score the goal that sent France to the finals in South Africa.
FIFA said the compensation was paid as a loan – which was used for construction of Dublin’s Aviva Stadium – but written it off last year after Ireland did not qualify for the 2014 World Cup.
The incident had been kept secret until Thursday and comes amid FIFA’s biggest crisis in connection with corruption probes by American and Swiss authorities and the announced resignation of FIFA president Joseph Blatter over it.
