Sports betting firm decides to return money staked on a World Cup place for Ireland.
Sports betting firm William Hill has announced that it is returning stake money to all punters who backed the Republic of Ireland to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.Giovanni Trapattoni's side missed out on a place in South Africa after losing 2-1 on aggregate in their qualifying playoff against France last night (November 18th), but the result has been tarnished by the major controversy surrounding William Gallas' decisive goal.
Although French striker Thierry Henry appeared to clearly handle the ball during the build-up to the extra-time strike in Paris, referee Martin Hansson waved away the protests of the Irish players.
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William Hill spokesperson Graham Sharpe said that the bookmaker had decided to be "as fair as possible to everyone" by refunding all bets on World Cup qualification for Ireland.
"It will cost us a significant five-figure sum," he added.
The sports betting operator will also be paying out for all wagers on France going through to next summer's tournament.
Brazil and Spain are currently joint favourites to win the World Cup at a general 9/2, while 888sport is offering 6/1 on England and 10/1 on Argentina.
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