A DECISION on where Ireland will play Brazil on March 3rd may be weeks away, as the FAI have acknowledged the matter is in the hands of the game’s promoters, Kentaro.
The international television rights and promotions company has had strong links with Brazil for several years and has organised a significant number of their recent friendly games, several in England.
The company also promoted Ireland’s games over the last couple of years at Craven Cottage, and is said to be weighing up its options for the Brazil match. Manchester, London, Birmingham, Glasgow and Dublin are all said to be among the possible host cities.
The hope is that such a high-profile game will be a boost to the morale of a team that was so deflated by the events at the Stade de France last month.
Giovanni Trapattoni’s assistant manager, Marco Tardeilli, gave an indication of how raw emotions still are within the camp when he observed: “I’m not angry, I’m furious. I have in my mind the picture of Damien Duff crying and Sepp Blatter laughing.
“After Blatter spoke, I was even more furious. I don’t understand Blatter. Fair play is very important for football, for sport, and I can’t explain to kids how this happened.”
Asked about French prospects at next summer’s World Cup finals, he replied: “I hope they lose to Italy in the semi-finals.”
– Emmet Malone
