As Mick McCarthy was forced into postponing the naming of his team for this afternoon's vital World Cup qualifier at Lansdowne Road (kick-off 3.0, Network 2) due to Stephen Carr's ankle injury, the difficulties within the Irish camp were again overshadowed yesterday by the continuing controversy surrounding the suspension by FIFA of Portugal's Fernando Couto.
Senior Portuguese officials conceded yesterday their attempt to have the ban overturned or even deferred in time for their captain to play had ended in failure but they made little attempt to hide the anger they feel towards FIFA over the way the issue has been handled.
"The FIFA decision was taken by six members of the 21strong executive committee not because it was on any agenda out in Seoul but because somebody raised the question in some hotel corridor," said the association's president Gilberto Madail.
Team coach Antonio Oliveira compared the people behind the FIFA decision to the Mafia while Couto branded the decision as "pathetic" but added: "I don't want to end my career like this and so I will fight to the end. I will go all the way to prove my innocence, I will take it to the civil courts if necessary."
Earlier in the day McCarthy's meeting with a press corps heavily swollen by Dutch journalists had, by comparison, been decidedly dull. Carr's ankle problem, the result of a training ground clash with Damien Duff earlier in the week, remains sufficiently worrying for the Irish coach to delay until today a final decision on his starting XI.
If Carr fails to prove his fitness this morning then Gary Kelly should start at right back. The only other question that remains is whether Duff, also slightly injured in the challenge on his team-mate, Mark Kennedy or Matt Holland will occupy the right side of midfield.
There was a good deal of speculation yesterday that Holland would start there. The Ipswich midfielder has always performed well for McCarthy. However, it would be a surprising change of tack for a man whose initial successes as Ireland manager came when he gambled on playing two wingers and whose improved results away from home have generally coincided with his attempts to be less cautious.
In the circumstances Kennedy and Duff look the better options and the Blackburn winger's form should just about give him the edge if his ankle is sufficiently recovered.
While anything other than a defeat would keep the Irish firmly in the hunt for the group's top spot, McCarthy insisted yesterday he would not be tempted into employing a more defensive approach against the Portuguese. "Even going right back to my playing days, I've always believed that we could win at Lansdowne Road and that's what we'll try to do in this game," he said. "We'll be confident but not arrogant because we know all about what a good side the Portuguese are, but we will certainly go out there and try to win, we always do."
Ireland, in fact, have never lost in the 13 competitive games they have played at home under McCarthy. However, the team's ability to maintain that record this afternoon will rest to a considerable extent on their ability to contain Figo and Rui Costa.
In truth, they never really managed it in Lisbon where they were lucky to draw and Ian Harte's assertion that the "diving" Real Madrid man might be shaken by a few hard challenges early on drew a scornful response yesterday when Figo said it is "a lot easier to talk than to play".
In short, if Harte is made to eat his words we will have problems while Richard Dunne and Gary Breen will almost certainly have to reproduce the heroics of their earlier outings together.
If they pull it off then, with Niall Quinn and Robbie Keane reunited up front, Oliveira might just travel home with further reason to curse FIFA and the loss of Fernando Couto.
The FAI has requested anyone with a ticket for the north terrace this afternoon to arrive at least an hour before the game as the terrace is to be segregated by Gardai immediately before the match and so the seat numbers indicated on tickets will not be adhered to.
Possible Line-Ups
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Given (Newcastle United); Carr (Tottenham Hotspur), Dunne (Manchester City), Breen (Coventry City), Harte (Leeds United); Duff (Blackburn Rovers), Keane (Manchester United), Kinsella (Charlton Athletic), Kilbane (Sunderland); Quinn (Sunderland), Keane (Leeds United).
PORTUGAL: Quim (SC Braga); Frechaut (Boavista), Jorge Costa (Porto), Beto (Sporting Lisbon), Rui Jorge (Sporting Lisbon); Bento (Sporting Lisbon), Meira (Benfica); Figo (Real Madrid), Rui Costa (Fiorentina), Barbosa (Sporting Lisbon); Pauleta (Bordeaux).
