The draw for the ties was held in Zürich on 19 October, with the teams drawn by South African player Steven Pienaar.
Commenting on this matter, Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given said: Sports Illustrated's Gabriele Marcotti gave the opinion that "FIFA is pretty much changing the rules halfway through the qualifying tournament.
Ireland officially asked FIFA for the second leg to be replayed after Thierry Henry clearly handled the ball twice during the build-up to the French goal.
[7] Ireland eventually pursued legal action against FIFA over the decision before ultimately receiving a €5 million settlement.
They demanded a replay of their World Cup qualification play-off against Slovenia on the official site of FIFA.