This time, the soundtrack was laughter. FIFA president Sepp Blatter, conspicuous by his silence in the immediate aftermath, stole the spotlight with his revelations in an address to a Soccerex business conference in South Africa.

With a hand-held microphone, Blatter addressed the crowd in the style of an ageing comedian rather than a leading administrator as he sailed into the choppy waters of Ireland's controversial exit from the World Cup in Paris.

"They (the FAI) have asked, very humbly, can't we be team No 33 at the World Cup," he said, in a tone which drew amusement and Laughter Lounge-style applause from the gallery. "They have asked for that, really," he guffawed.

The 73-year-old said he would bring the request up in tomorrow's EGM of FIFA's Executive Committee in Cape Town. Yet his tone suggested the obvious; that it would be nothing more than a token measure. Nevertheless, the manner in which the saga continues to command attention indicates there are still questions to be asked about the fallout from November 18.

1 WHEN DID THE FAI MAKE THE 'TEAM NO. 33' REQUEST TO FIFA?

Last Friday, an FAI delegation of CEO John Delaney(right), Honorary Secretary Michael Cody and Legal Advisor travelled to Zurich when their request for a meeting with FIFA was granted. They met Blatter, General Secretary Jerome Valcke and Legal Division Director Marco Villiger for an hour and a half of discussion.

The FAI admit they asked during those talks if they could be accommodated at the finals as an extra team but refute any suggestion it was the purpose of their visit.

They were bemused by the manner in which Blatter highlighted that particular aspect of the meeting and, privately, are well aware that it's a fanciful notion. Indeed, a written submission made by the FAI to FIFA contained no mention of that suggestion and instead focused on improvements to the game such as video technology, extra officials and sanctions for individuals who bend the rules.

2 WHERE HAS BLATTER BEEN AND WHY DID HE ENTER THE DEBATE NOW?

The FIFA chief was criticised for his silence last week and made his first foray into the global storm with comments in 'L'Equipe' on Sunday detailing correspondence with Thierry Henry and effectively absolving the French skipper while blaming match referee Hansson. "I definitely gained an advantage by pulling a defender's jersey in order to score a goal. And I didn't go and see the referee to tell him about it," said Blatter, in a slightly unfortunate reference to his days as an amateur player.

After that bizarre intervention, the FAI suspect the FIFA chief felt obliged to offer a more detailed analysis yesterday.

However, he has merely succeeded in clouding the agenda ahead of tomorrow's EGM of the Executive Committee which, in real terms, should result in a definitive update on the stance of the powers that be towards offering support to match officials.

Instead, the laughable notion of adding a 33rd team to the party -- or, indeed, a 34th with Blatter pointing out Costa Rica's ire over the offside goal that aided Uruguay's progression -- will be addressed, which may divert attention from the embarrassment of a leading, marketable star like Henry being implicated in such a fashion.

3 IS MONEY THE REASON WHY THE FAI PERSIST?

They do not genuinely believe that Ireland can somehow gain an extra ticket to South Africa but, until becoming the butt of yesterday's patronising jokes, it was doing the FAI no harm to enjoy the novelty of being cast as the good guy.

Followers of the League of Ireland will recognise the tactic. Delaney was largely silent through a series of crises this year, particularly the troublesome case of Cork City. Yet when the FAI had the moral high ground in the case of Derry City, the CEO popped up in every media outlet, a handy warm-up for the post-Paris frenzy where his pleas filled the airwaves both at home and abroad.

The bigger picture for the FAI is that the €10m-plus boost from qualification was desperately needed, specifically with relation to their commitment towards funding the new Lansdowne Road, which has been gambled on the sale of ludicrously priced 10-year tickets. Borrowed money will tide them over in the short term.

With a crippling budget on the way next week, corporate spending power is likely to be further curtailed. All the same, the profile boost from the French games delivered a mini-rush in sales and afforded the opportunity to capitalise on the football team being brought back into fashion.

It would make little sense for the association to wish for the matter to go away quietly, even though a growing proportion of the Irish population are mortified by the story's continued survival.

If the bitterness lingers into the Euro 2012 draw on February 7, then marketing the sale of tickets for that campaign will be an easier task.

4 WILL THE FAI SECURE FAVOURABLE TREATMENT IN FUTURE?

They dispute reports which said that the Irish delegation requested a consolation prize of being top seeds in the 2014 qualifiers in return for missing out on next summer's jamboree. A totally unrealistic concept.

Still, the FAI appear to be enjoying their prominence in debates with respect to advancing the laws of the game. In fact, in his interview with Setanta last Friday week, Delaney repeated his assertion that Michel Platini was so impressed by the use of umpires in his visit to a hurling match at Croke Park that it inspired the introduction of officials behind the goal as practised in this season's Europa League.

The FAI as the Great Reformers? It's been a strange fortnight.

5 DID THE FAI FIND THEIR VOICE TOO LATE?

In truth, the real scandal of Ireland's failure to qualify was FIFA's decision to seed the play-off draw having previously indicated that the meeting of Europe's eight best second-placed teams would be an open affair.

While senior Irish players blasted the decision, the FAI were diplomatic enough in their public utterances with Delaney ironically stating that, from his experience, FIFA didn't change their mind. A month later, when Ireland called for a replay, they found that the French were the stumbling block.

Of course, Delaney subsequently argued that the FAI had privately made their displeasure known but the real momentum behind the prolonging of Handballgate has been public pressure which tugged the heart strings and got the politicians involved.

Would FIFA have reverted to the original plan if the four unseeded nations kicked up a collective and concerted fuss? Almost certainly not. But it's rich for Blatter to devolve responsibility for Paris to Hansson, when the greatest injustice was perpetrated in the commercially driven moving of the goalposts that pressed Ireland and France together in the first place.

6 WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The 25-man FIFA Executive Committee, chaired by Blatter, and containing luminaries of the game such as Platini and Franz Beckenbauer, convene tomorrow for an EGM to discuss the entire debacle. They were all due to be present in South Africa anyway, with the week building towards the draw for the finals on Friday. A draw that will contain 32 teams.

For the record the following make up the Executive Committee:

President

Sepp Blatter (Switzerland)

Senior Vice President

Julio H Grondona (Argentina)

General Secretary

Jerome Valcke (France)

Vice Presidents

Issa Hayatou (Cameroon)

Chung Mong Joon (Korea)

Jack Warner (Trinidad & Tobago)

Angel Maria Villar Llona (Spain)

Michel Platini (France)

Reynald Temarii (Tahiti)

Geoff Thompson (England)

Members

Vitaliy Mutko (Russia)

Hany Abo Rida (Egypt)

Rafael Salguero (Guatemala)

Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)

Jacques Anouma (Ivory Coast)

Marios Lefkaritis (Cyprus)

Amos Adamu (Nigeria)

Junji Ogura (Japan)

Nicolas Leoz (Paraguay)

Worawi Makudi (Thailand)

Michel D'Hooghe (Belgium)

Ricardo Terra Teixeira (Brazil)

Mohamed Bin Hammam (Qatar)

Senes Erzik (Turkey)

Chuck Blazer (USA)