Hopes are high for replay in Dublin

UEFA are likely to convene a meeting of their Control and Disciplinary Committee within the next fortnight to assess the fallout from the Republic of Ireland's postponed game against Yugoslavia.

David Bowen, the general secretary of the Irish Football Association (IFA), is a member of the committee, which is chaired by Josep Luis Vilaseca of Spain. It includes representatives from Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Hungary, Germany and England. The controversy is also on the agenda for next Thursday's meeting of the organising committee for the Euro 2000 Championship, of which Dr Tony O'Neill is a member.

Given the unprecedented nature of the case, few are prepared to discuss the Government's action in withholding visas from the Yugoslav party. But the mood in Geneva appears to be conciliatory. It fosters hope that the FAI may yet have the game rescheduled for Dublin, albeit with the imposition of a fine, and that Mick McCarthy's team will have the chance to compete for points which were earlier in danger of being lost by default. That hope derives in the first instance from the new pact in the Kosovo crisis and the goodwill of the Yugoslav Federation, who appear to be genuine in their assertion that they are prepared to fulfil the original fixture, if permitted to do so by UEFA.

Also, the European authorities were suitably reassured when Macedonia's game against Croatia at Skopje last Saturday, and Albania's two home games against Norway and Slovenia, were staged without incident. That hinted at a return to something approaching normality in the troubled region, and UEFA will be keen to be seen to make their contribution by resisting the temptation to take punitive action against the FAI. Meanwhile, the Irish players were on their way back to their bases yesterday morning happy that three important points had been banked against Macedonia and that their marathon season had at last drawn to a close. "It's a good feeling to sign off with a win," said team captain Kenny Cunningham. "It means that we're still competitive in the group and that we can look forward to some very important games in the autumn."

McCarthy paid tribute to the attitude of his players during the marathon build-up to Wednesday's game. "It wasn't easy for anybody to live through the uncertainty of the match against Yugoslavia," he said, "but to their credit their concentration levels never dropped. "They were ready to go and do the job to the best of their ability against the Yugoslavs and when that fell through they switched their concentration immediately to the Macedonian game. That is the measure of the commitment of the players to making the European finals and at this level commitment is half the battle."

As he glanced at the collated evidence of Wednesday's programme across Europe, the Irish manager had good reason to feel happy about Niall Quinn's goal and the win which put his team level with Yugoslavia at the top of Group Eight.

Manchester United may have given English football its biggest boost since the World Cup triumph of 1966 by beating Bayern Munich in Barcelona a fortnight ago, but just now England's European Championship challenge is in bad shape after the loss of four points in the last week.

Likewise, Scotland and Wales are both in deep trouble, suggesting that if Ireland keep their composure they may well emerge as the most likely qualifiers from these islands. McCarthy gets no joy from the travail of his neighbours, preferring instead to focus on the challenge of building on the promise of a good start. "At this point, it's no more than that. Now we must steel ourselves for the bigger part of the job in the autumn," he says.

Meanwhile, the FAI has announced that it had concluded a £2.5 million agreement with ACC Bank/TSB Bank to become the official financial sponsor of the Arena, Ireland's first, all-seated, multi-purpose venue, which will be located at City West on the outskirts of Dublin. Bernard O'Byrne, the FAI's chief executive, said: "The option of a 10-year exclusive presence at the Arena is proving to be a very attractive incentive for many of Ireland's leading companies. It enables them to be part of a very prestigious development in terms of both sport and entertainment."