The second leg of the World Cup qualifier play-off between France and the Republic of Ireland in the Stade de France (pictured) in Paris on Wednesday night attracted over two million viewers, the highest TV audience of the year so far and the highest audience for any sporting event since 1995.
RTE reported that 1.07m people watched RTÉ Two for the entire four hours of coverage of the game including pre and post-match analysis making it the most-watched programme of the year so far.
The second most watched programme of the year so far was Ireland’s defeat of Wales in the Millennium Stadium to win the Grand Slam, with Ryan Tubridy’s debut on The Late Late Show in third spot.
Following a complaint made by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), Fifa said today that the Paris match cannot be replayed under the rules of the game and the match referee’s decisions were final.
The media debate on the Henry controversy continues to focus on the need for video evidence in football, just as they have in rugby and cricket.
Speaking on Primetime, on RTE 1 Television last night, former Ireland defender Kevin Moran said that it has been suggested that one reason for not introducing the technology is because smaller footballing nations around the world cannot afford it.
