FAI due for talks with FIFA over play-offs

The nature of the Republic of Ireland's task in next month's World Cup play-offs will become a good deal clearer over the coming days when officials from the FAI expect to meet their counterparts from FIFA at this week's UEFA congress in Prague.

FAI general secretary Brendan Menton said after Saturday's victory over of Cyprus at Lansdowne Road that the association's policy had been to avoid raising the issue of the play-offs with the world body until it was certain Ireland would, in fact, be taking part in them.

Now, he said, the FAI would press FIFA's officials for as much detail as they can get in relation to what may lie in store for Mick McCarthy's side in the coming weeks.

McCarthy has said repeatedly he expects both play-off matches to go ahead as long as there is not a major escalation in the military situation in the area. If there is, he said over the weekend, then "all the indications are that it'll be a one-off game in neutral territory".

Menton admits that whatever happens there may be serious difficulties with the proposed away leg of the play-off, in which Ireland is due to meet any one of five countries - the UAE, Iran, Qatar, Uzbekistan or Saudi Arabia - with the first two looking to be the most likely candidates at present.

The ability of the association to organise transport or secure insurance cover for the trip are potential stumbling blocks, he concedes, although the extent of the difficulties will depend to a large extent on who the actual opponents are.

"Going to Saudi or going to Uzbekistan, for instance, are two very different things," he says.

There is also the possibility that some clubs may attempt to refuse permission for their players to take part in the trip, but Menton insists that, on this issue, FIFA's rules are firmly behind the association.

McCarthy and his players have repeatedly expressed their preference for the World Cup place on offer to be decided over two legs, as there is a fear within the Irish camp that even a single error against what are expected to be weaker opponents might prove costly in a one-off tie.

With this in mind, Menton appeared to be taking the rather optimistic line on Saturday that the proposed game in Dublin could go ahead as scheduled on November 10th, with the return leg a few days later switched to a neutral venue if circumstances demand it.

"As far as we're concerned there is no problem with the Dublin game and we will be starting our preparations for that, the printing of tickets etcetera, immediately. The second game is a different matter," he added, "and we'll have to wait and see what the situation is with that game when we are in contact with FIFA and we know the other team involved."

Such an approach is unlikely to go down well with Ireland's opponents, whoever they turn out to be, or with the Asian federation, both of whom are likely to strenuously oppose their team being put at a disadvantage as a result of circumstances beyond their control.

Given that this play-off was created as a compromise after initial attempts to win a third place for Asian qualifiers at next year's finals had failed, FIFA seem unlikely to back such a scenario either.

McCarthy, though, says that he appreciates the difficulty that the international body finds itself in. "I understand FIFA's need not to get into deciding things before they have to. They have to be guided by what's going on in the world."

McCarthy, meanwhile, said he would not be seeking to resolve his long-term future until after the play-offs. The Ireland manager's contract with the FAI ends in February, when he will have served six years in the position.

"There'll be nothing discussed until the play-offs are out of the way," he said, before adding: "you lot might feel differently after them."

He insisted, though, that he loved his job, describing international management as the "pinnacle of any manager's career". Asked about his ambitions to coach at the highest club level in Britain, he said that he was in a strange position "having come to this job from the first division and by-passed the top flight. But I like to think that there'd be a job there for me with one of the clubs if I was to look for it."

Wages for managers at leading British clubs have soared in recent seasons as the importance of the role within organisations that spend many millions each year on players has come to gain greater recognition. McCarthy is believed to earn around £200,000 for managing the Republic, while Manchester City, who were said to be interested in hiring him during the summer, are said to pay Kevin Keegan close to £750,000.

Menton has already said McCarthy is keen to stay on well beyond February, but admits that much will depend on what McCarthy wants to do.

"The question is whether we end up talking about a new contract or a contract extension," he said last month when the issue of McCarthy's tenure was first raised.