FIFA has rejected the use of extra match officials at next year’s World Cup despite the uproar over Thierry Henry’s handball that helped France qualify at the expense of Ireland. FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Wednesday that “there is no change for referees” at the World Cup, which begins June 11, but added there are plans to introduce more officials or technology at a later stage.
Henry handled the ball before setting up an equalizer in last month’s 1-1 draw with Ireland in a World Cup playoff that put France through 2-1 on aggregate and eliminated the Irish.
