Despite vigorous protests from FIFA and animal-rights activists, restaurateurs in South Korea are pursuing plans to entice visiting football supporters to partake of canine cuisine in June.
Instead of Irish stew, soccer supporters are more likely to be offered dog casserole in restaurants in South Korea where Mick McCarthy's men will move from Japan if they qualify for the second round of the tournament.
Yesterday more than 100 dogmeat restaurant owners and butchers gathered in Seoul to discuss plans to promote the consumption of dogmeat during the finals. South Korea has about 4,000 registered dogmeat restaurants.
A leading nutritionist and dogmeat promoter warned animal-lovers opposed to the launch of the aggressive marketing plan that they were barking up the wrong tree. Mr Ann Yong-Keun, who boasts scores of dog recipes and the author of a book on Korea's dogmeat culture, said people should understand other people had different cultures.
Dogmeat is popular in Korea and certain parts of China. However, it has emerged as a controversial issue for image-conscious South Korea, which co-hosts the soccer finals with Japan.
FIFA president Mr Sepp Blatter and French actress-turned-activist Brigitte Bardot are among the leading figures who have hit out at the practice.
Dogs are specially bred in South Korea to be eaten, notably in poshintang, literally "body-preservation stew". This is supposed to be good for health and is considered a delicacy by some.
Only 16 per cent of dogs in South Korea are bred as pets.
According to Mr Ann, animal-rights activists should fight for species on the verge of extinction. "Why should they make a fuss about dogs which are not near extinction?" What causes particular alarm abroad and among animal rights activists in South Korea is the illegal way some dogs are killed to make the meat more tender, by beating, burning or hanging.
Ms Bardot plans to distribute pictures of dogs being treated badly before butchery to teams at the World Cup in an effort to stop dog-eating. She said recently: "I don't mean to make the football teams boycott the international event. I just hope the Korean government introduces the law prohibiting Koreans from eating dogmeat."