Story highlights Head of Ireland's Football says payout made to "avoid legal action"

Payout followed Thierry Henry's handball that put Ireland out of the 2010 World Cup

FIFA's tangled financial dealings subject to two separate investigations

(CNN) The head of Ireland's Football Association says FIFA gave it a confidential payout to avoid legal action after Ireland's controversial loss to France in a 2009 World Cup playoff.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio, Football Association of Ireland chief executive John Delaney said the payment related to a handball by Thierry Henry, which came in the final minutes of the match and cost Ireland a place in the 2010 World Cup.

"We felt we had a legal case against FIFA because of how the World Cup play-off hadn't worked out for us with the Henry handball," Delaney said.

He said it was a "very good" and "very legitimate agreement" for the association, and he was bound by a confidentiality agreement not to reveal the amount. The payout was $5 million (4.4 million euros).

"It was a payment to the association to not proceed with a legal case," Delaney said.

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