Several final qualifying matches were under the shadow of controversies. One such match, to quote an example, was between France and Republic of Ireland where the French captain Thierry Henry illegally handled the ball in the lead up to the winning goal. Henry’s attempt was not noticed by the referee. This led France to make the final 32 teams ahead of Ireland. There was a widespread debate on FIFA fair play and need to referee the matches at the highest level. FAI’s (Football Association of Ireland) demand, to replay on the ground of fairness, was declined by FIFA under the laws of the game. FAI then had to withdraw its demand of inclusion as an unprecedented 33rd world cup enterant. There have been more controversies including, Costa Rica vs. Uruguay, Egypt vs. Algeria, etc.
