Avoiding the giants of South American football was the FAI's main hope yesterday as the various strands of the Irish delegation to Asia gathered in the Korean city of Busan for this morning's World Cup finals draw (BBC and RT╔, from 10.0).

Having just arrived, after the best part of a week in Japan sizing up potential training camps, Mick McCarthy insisted that he didn't mind what the draw brings for the Republic. But the association's leading administrator, it turned out, has a more clear-cut view on what might add up to a desirable outcome for the Irish.

"We'll take anything and prepare accordingly," said McCarthy, who added: "I'm not bothered who we get or we play."

The Ireland manager went on, however, to express a slight preference for being drawn in Japan where, he said, he had lined up what he feels is a suitable base for the team just outside Izumo.

Brendan Menton, though, made it clear that he is hoping for a prolonged stay on the other side of the East Sea.

"To be drawn as B2 or D2 would probably be the preference, as that would mean that we stay in Korea, even into the last 16 stage.

"The country," he said, "is more compact, involves less travel, is that little bit cheaper and would be better for the fans.

"The downside," he admitted, "would be on the facilities side. Japan has so many good ones that the cities are competing with each other to get teams, whereas there are probably only three really top-class ones here. But I think that that is something which we would be able to find a way around."

On the subject of Ireland's potential opponents, the FAI's general secretary was adamant that avoiding the Brazilians and Argentineans is the main priority.

"If you get them," he said, "then you are almost certain to get another European side. Then, on top of all that, you could be landed with a Nigeria or something like that and end up in a very tough group indeed. "Still, if we did draw the Brazilians or the Argentinians and end up doing an Italy on it, I wouldn't be complaining."

Menton went on to point out that what happens in the lower part of the draw will be crucial.

"You have to watch what happens down there," he said. "I think we'd prefer to end up with a Saudi rather than a Uruguay, for instance, when it comes to time to pick a team from the third pot."

Meanwhile, after confirming the association has reached agreement with Argentina regarding the proposed friendly on April 17th, Menton said he believed that McCarthy was "delighted" with the addition of the prestige Lansdowne Road fixture. The fixture is, however, contingent on Ireland not been drawn in the same group this morning.

Reports of an approach from the French regarding a game against the European and World champions in May are groundless, according to Menton. "I think somebody's made a mistake there, although it'll be a couple of days before I get the chance to check my correspondence and know for sure.

"I got a message saying that somebody from the French had called about a game, but what I suspect is that it was an agent or somebody else based in France representing somebody else altogether.

"As it is we have been approached with regard to games against Nigeria and Cameroon, and the Nigerians seem very keen. Having the French in Dublin would, of course, have been a magnificent occasion, but depending on what the draw ends up throwing at us, it might be preferable from a footballing point of view to play an African side."

France, meanwhile, will be the last side to qualify automatically for the World Cup finals on the basis of being defending champions. FIFA's executive committee yesterday decided to change the rules of the competition so that future winners will be obliged to qualify in the normal way.

"It's something that's been thought about for some time," said FIFA general secretary Michel Zen-Ruffinen.

"We feel it's not proper that the winners shouldn't play in competitive matches before having to defend their championship. Two years of friendlies means that they are not as ready as their rivals."

The more likely motivation for the decision, however, is a desire on the part of the world body to free up a place at the finals which can be used to address the problem of the Oceania group.

Australia have lost out in play-offs on three successive occasions now, and senior FIFA officials admit that a new qualification system will have to be found. Oceania may actually get a place freed up by obliging champions to qualify, but another possible solution would be to tie its teams into the Asian process and allocate the place between the two confederations.