FIFA's crocodile tears of little use

Confusion reigned last night over player arrangements for next Wednesday's European Championship game in Yugoslavia after FIFA appeared to acknowledge their error in refusing to implement the five-day release rule.

In a fax to the FAI, the world governing body indicated that they had been in contact with the English FA in the hope that they could put pressure on clubs to rest players selected in Mick McCarthy's squad.

But they acknowledged that it might well be too late for club managers to revise their team plans and that some players might already be in transit to games.

A spokesman for the English FA last night effectively ruled out any chance that the association would force the clubs to rest the players. By the time the new FIFA request was received "it was too late to insist that players be released by their clubs because players were already travelling to tomorrow's games," he said. "Therefore players will report to Dublin after tomorrow's games."

The shift in stance by FIFA appears to have been influenced by the disclosure that, contrary to earlier reports, Yugoslavia have been able to assemble almost all their players for an intensive build-up to the game.

The latest development did not impress the FAI, who are still insisting that FIFA issue an amended directive making it imperative on clubs to comply with the five-day rule.

"We do not think it is correct for FIFA to transfer responsibility to the English FA - they themselves should take the lead in the matter," said FAI chief executive, Bernard O'Byrne.

It didn't help to appease the FAI's anger to learn that, with the exception of Charlton goalkeeper Sasa Ilic and team captain Dragan Stojkovic, who plays in Japan, Yugoslav manager Milan Zivadinovic was able to assemble his full squad in Belgrade last evening.

This follows the co-operation of club managers in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Germany in response to a plea by Zivadinovic that his players should be permitted to prepare properly for the international game.

In rejecting the Irish protest on Thursday, FIFA said that they were doing so on the premise that both countries would be equally adversely effected by clubs retaining their players for weekend games.

This FIFA statement indi cted the FAI for their refusal to accept an official ruling by FIFA's Player Status Committee, and went on: "The Yugoslav Football Federation . . . is ready to accept a compromise solution on condition that the players involved join their national squad immediately after their club games."

Given that the Yugoslav authorities had already received permission to have most of their foreign-based players back in Belgrade yesterday, that communique was based on information which was at best misleading and at worst devious.

The effect will be to give Yugoslavia an unfair advantage and Irish manager Mick McCarthy was not slow to make the point at the end of a deeply frustrating week.

"I don't blame the clubs for wanting their players but I do blame FIFA for refusing to stand over their own rule," he said. "If rules are not going to be observed, they're not worth the paper they're written on."

McCarthy's only consolation was a statement from Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, that he will not play either Roy Keane or Denis Irwin in today's game against Blackburn.

"I believe it is only fair that players should have a break before a competitive international game and, as such, I am prepared to make do without Roy and Denis for the Blackburn match," the statement said.

Blackburn, by contrast, are expected to field both Jeff Kenna and Damien Duff, although a recurrence of the groin problem which troubled Duff earlier in the season may upset those plans.

Jason McAteer is suspended for Liverpool's meeting with Leeds United at Anfield, but Steve Staunton and Phil Babb are both in the squad from which Gerard Houllier will announce his team just before the kick off.

After withdrawing Babb from his squad earlier in the week, McCarthy yesterday put him back in it. "I'm doing so because the latest word from Liverpool is that they originally intended to play Phil in the Leeds game.

"That's now unlikely to happen because Steve Staunton is sufficiently recovered from an ankle injury to return to their defence, but if Babb is fit enough to play for Liverpool then I'm happy to have him with us in Belgrade."

The overall picture is scarcely encouraging in the build-up to Ireland's biggest game of the year.