European countries appear to be moving closer to a consensus favouring an amnesty for players threatened with suspensions for the two-legged World Cup playoffs, starting next month. The Republic of Ireland is one of several countries actively supporting the move and the likelihood is that it will be supported even by those not likely to be directly involved in the four ties.
The rationale behind the campaign is that the participating countries will be punished unjustly if bans, based on bookings in group fixtures, become operative at what is seen, as a different strand in the qualifying process.
This thinking is in line with policy adopted for some of the more recent World Cup finals in which cards issued in earlier rounds were set aside and all players afforded equal status at the start of the last phase of the championship.
FIFA's approval is likely to be officially confirmed this week but there has been no response from Zurich on the other matter troubling officials at Merrion Square - the problems arising from the unavailability of Lansdowne Road on November 15th.
This is the date set for the return games in the play-offs and as Ireland's rugby team will be playing host to New Zealand on that day, Lansdowne Road will not be available for soccer purposes.
Already, moves have been put in train by the FAI to have the fixture deferred for 24 hours if Ireland are drawn at home on that date, with a supplementary application to follow if this is granted.
Logistically, it would not be possible to have 12,000 temporary seats in place the day after the rugby game and Irish officials therefore will attempt to persuade the governing body to set aside their insistence on all seated spectators for this one occasion.
"We believe both requests are perfectly reasonable," said Bernard O'Byrne, the FAI's chief executive. "There is a perceived advantage in playing at home in the return game and if the draw works out this way for us, we will be anxious to make full use of it".
"Ever since the ban on standing spectators was introduced for World Cup and European championship games, we have erected temporary seating to comply with the new ruling but in that time, we have played in several stadiums abroad where some of the spectators were standing."
"Those were exceptional cases and our submission to FIFA is that because of the big rugby game at Lansdowne Road on November 15th, our request now fits into that category."
Mick McCarthy's next squad selection, for the meeting with Romania at Lansdowne Road on October 15th, is not due for another three weeks but even that timescale may not be flexible enough to facilitate Niall Quinn's fight for fitness.
Unlike the Sunderland player, Jason McAteer has no fitness problems and yet he, too, will be a cause of concern for the Ireland manager after his well documented early season problems. McAteer hasn't started a game for Liverpool this season and it certainly showed in his timing and general lack of sharpness on his return to the national team in Vilnius last Wednesday.
