The President, Mary McAleese, extended her sincere congratulations to the team. She said: "Their dedication and confidence, and the considerable management skills of Brian Kerr and his officials, had brought de- served success to the team."

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, warmly congratulated Brian Kerr and the Irish side. He described their victory as "simply magnificent. Brian Kerr was ensuring that the senior squad had a wealth of talent in the pipeline.

"The team's performance had brought great pride to the country and Ireland's future in the world soccer scene looked very bright," he added.

Ruairi Quinn, the Labour Party leader, in praising the team, said: "The long term future for Irish soccer looked bright."