French seeding snub FIFA’s only punishment left

While there was to be no replay and no 33rd team, FIFA’s announcement of top seeds in the World Cup draw suggests France will receive some punishment for Thierry Henry’s indiscretion against Ireland.

Despite both sitting in the world’s top ten, neither France nor Portugal will be seeded for the draw, instead going into the European based pot four, with England the chief beneficiaries in pot one. FIFA says this is because they are going both on previous World Cup performances and World rankings in October (prior to two England defeats to Ukraine and Brazil), not November. This, FIFA says, is because teams involved in the play-offs will have an advantage as more games means more opportunities to climb the rankings. An understandable approach.

But a small part of me feels this was an ideal opportunity to try and inflict some punishment on France for their controversial entry into the 2010 World Cup, an allegation FIFA strongly deny of course, and point to their frantic meetings and discussion post-Henry gate as evidence of their compassion for Ireland’s plight.

But even if this was FIFA’s way of getting back at the French, it is all too little too late in my opinion. FIFA’s public face talks about the inclusion of smaller nations in the festival of football yet the fear of the countries with the largest advertising rev...sorry the more established nations, missing out conquers all at the end of the day. The subsequent seeding of the play-off draw at the last minute showed just this.

They made a rod for their own back and now, with the Irish still fuming at their exit, their opponents France, 2006 World Cup finalists, will also have a bone to pick with football’s governing body.

It seems a safe football bet that all this frustration and anger is not what FIFA needed ahead of the much anticipated draw, the results of which will have us all peering into our 2010 diaries and chalking off the days until the big kick-off. With the potential of a group of death involving the likes of England, France, Australia, the Ivory Coast or Portugal a distinct possibility, it will also create some positive headlines after a damaging few weeks – a welcome relief for all concerned, except if you’re Irish.