The boys in green were cruelly denied a place in the South Africa showpiece after William Gallas’ controversial equaliser in the first period of extra time sent the French through 2-1 on aggregate.
Former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry blatantly handled the ball in the build-up to the goal to leave Keane and his team-mates fuming at the final whistle.
“The hand was so obvious, we’re disgusted,” Keane told Eurosport.
“FIFA absolutely did not want Ireland at the World Cup.
“They’re all probably clapping hands, Platini sitting up there on the phone to Sepp Blatter, probably texting each other, delighted with the result.”
“He [Henry] nearly caught it, so it’s a bit of a killer,” he said.
“When you see the reaction of the players, Shay [Given] especially, he’s two yards away from it.
“You don’t get a reaction like that if he’s not sure it’s a handball. He almost caught it and ran into the net with it.”
“Germany had a chance of being in the [play-offs] as well. With two massive countries there’s no way in a million years is there going to be fair draw,” he added.
“We created chances. We can be proud of how we played, but we failed to go through.”
