Minutes after the final whistle at the Stade de France, the huge screens behind either goal were showing an animated graphic of a plane taking off.
Flight FFF 2010 from Paris to what looked on the map like Cape Town, suggests that Les Bleus even knew what city they will be based in come the World Cup finals in South Africa next Summer.
Here in Paris as the huge ethnic Algerian population celebrated their first ever qualification for the finals with delirious and sometimes dangerous enthusiasm on the Champs Elysee, the showpiece Adidas outlet was already taking in stock of the brand new France kit for South Africa 2010.
It echoed designs of previous glorious French European and World Cup triumphs. I’ll spare you the blurb.
The focus remains on Paris and the dream of a place among the world’s elite fades away for Ireland, in truth though this was a horrible nightmare for players and supporters and a recurring one at that.
How proud it was to be Irish at the Stade de France on Wednesday night? Don’t you wish that we could play there all the time? Trapattoni asked for belief and the players and supporters believed. Trapattoni gave us hope and the slightest glimmer still remains.
The French are a very proud and some would even say an arrogant race. Yet in the last 24 hours the public mood has changed. The French Minister for Sport Roselyne Bachelot admitted that she had mixed feelings “that range between cowardly relief and great regret”
France daily Le Figaro did a poll which showed that 93% of its readers supported calls for a video referee and Le Monde admitted that the referee Martin Hannson from Sweden had saved Les Bleus and 88.5% believed that Ireland merited a win. A Parisienne radio station has had an overwhelming response from listeners that the game should be replayed.
However in La Republique of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity things aren’t always as democratic as they might seem.
France’s Prime Minister Francois Fillon has said that the Irish government should not interfere with football affairs following an Irish government plea for fairness. President Nicolas Sarkozy has told Brian Cowen that he understands the frustration of the Irish but that it remains a football matter. Merci for that, Nicolas.
It was a travesty, an injustice and in any language was clearly wrong. Thierry Henry cheated and Ireland are out.
Just like the play-off against the Dutch at Anfield in 1995 and against Belgium in Brussels in 1997 and the one against Turkey in Bursa in 1999.
Ireland overcame Iran over two legs for a place in the finals in Korea and Japan in 2002 but when it comes to playing a bigger nation in world football terms, Ireland, it seems, need more than just luck.
It’s remarkable really when you think of it how New Zealand - who were well out of their depth at last year’s Confederations Cup in South Africa – had the difficult task of beating Bahrain, in a play-off to qualify.
Ireland, in contrast, had to face up to the current world champions Italy in the group and the beaten finalists from Berlin in 2006 – France - in the seeded play offs.
Going back to that famous match the destiny of the trophy was probably shaped by the controversial sending off of France playmaker Zinedine Zidane.
His headbutt on Italian defender Marco Materrazzi was clear from television replays but the referee missed the incident.
There was a strong indication at the time that the fourth official was communicated to by 'the man upstairs' a referee who had seen the conclusive television replay footage and who was in radio contact with the officials.
UEFA, the governing body of the sport in Europe, have already, under French President Michel Platini, introduced the experiment of extra officials for the Europa League. Under these new rules there are five officials around the pitch and an assistant in the dugout.
Ironically one of the extra referees would have been placed right at the spot where Thierry Henry double dribbled before setting up William Gallas.
FIFA have been running a Fair Play campaign since Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ in 1986 but if nothing is done about the Henry affair then it will be seen to be what it is, empty rhetoric and window dressing.
Sources in Zurich are indicating that FIFA would be prepared to listen if the French were to come forward with some sort of goodwill gesture that would include a replay of the match.
Le Ballon, so to speak, is back in their court now and it remains to be seen whether the high minded French have any morality in them.
TONY O’DONOGHUE IS SOCCER CORRESPONDENT FOR RTE.
