Pelé says replay 'too complicated'

Brazilian legend Pelé has said holding a replay between France and Ireland would be too complicated.

The player also defended Thierry Henry's now infamous handball during the World Cup Qualifier, saying the player had not done it deliberately.

Speaking at a press conference this morning at Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin, Pelé said if the France-Ireland match were replayed, other games that featured controversial decisions would also have to be replayed.

“It would be very complicated, you have a lot of other matches that was almost the same, different goals, but almost the same,” he said. “If you have a replay you need to change dates, you need to change the tournament, you have to have a rule for the replay, will it be one game or two games or penalty kicks? To have a new game would be very difficult.”

Pelé said the result of the game was not fair and Ireland had played well, but "unfortunately, you cannot change that. The mistake that happened, happened."

He said it was clear Henry accidentally handled the ball. “I don't think he thinks about it,” Pelé explained.

As a member of FIFA's Executive Committee, Pelé said he discussed the possibility of having referees behind the goals at major games at the association's last meeting in Zurich with another footballing legend, Franz Beckenbauer.

Pelé said he had come to that conclusion before the France-Ireland match took place.

"All the problems that are created are inside of the box. Somethings the referee cannot see, the lineman could help, but even the lineman doesn't see the game. If you have a referee behind the goals, you avoid all those problems."

Pelé visited the hospital today in his capacity as the ambassador for Brazil's Little Prince Children's Hospital. He was invited to visit Crumlin by Don Mullen, the European ambassador for the Little Prince Children's Hospital.

Pelé will speak at a fundraising dinner in the Burlington Hotel tonight which is expected to raise €300,000 for both hospitals.