The French Football Federation (FFF) has heeded the words of head coach Raymond Domenech and ensured it will be as difficult as possible for Republic of Ireland fans to get more than their official allocation of tickets for the second leg of the World Cup play-offs at Stade de France.
The travelling contingent is entitled to at least 10 per cent of the stadium’s capacity of 81,338, but unlike 2004 when about 25,000 Irish fans piled into the Saint-Denis venue, additional tickets will not be on sale on the internet.
Instead, they have been given the minimum permitted, according to the FFF, or 8,500, according to the FAI's chief executive John Delaney today.
Either way, on November 18th, the numbers are likely to be significantly down on the previous meeting between the two teams in Paris, when Ireland drew 0-0 with Domenech’s side during the qualifying campaign for Euro 2006.
The allocation, insists the FFF, is in line with other World Cup qualifiers that have taken place at the stadium in this campaign.
The French will also get their 10 per cent for the first leg at Croke Park on November 14th, meaning, if they sell all the tickets, nearly 7,500 travelling fans will be catered for on Hill 16 and in section 301 of the Cusack Stand.
That match was today confirmed to be an 8pm kick-off, while the Saint-Denis fixture will be at either 8 or 9pm.
Meanwhile, Coventry City's Leon Best has emerged as an injury worry for the games. The striker limped out of last nights defeat at Cardiff with a knee injury and left the stadium on crutches.
His club are waiting to discover the full extent of the injury with a scan scheduled for tomorrow but manager Chris Coleman admitted the initial prognosis was not encouraging.
“We are not sure how long he is going to be out for,” said Coleman. “His knee has swollen up badly and we won’t be banking on him returning soon. He’s a tough kid but it doesn’t look too good. It’s a real worry.”
Best has yet to break his international duck but has won five caps under Giovanni Trapattoni, the most recent coming in the final qualifier against Montenegro.
