Leading Bookmakers PaddyPower have decided to pay-out to punters who lost when Northern Ireland were beaten by Switzerland in their World Cup play-off after the referee behind the loss admitted he was wrong.

The Northern Irish were defeated 1-0 on aggregate following a controversial penalty in the first leg in Belfast.

Ovidiu Hategan ruled that Corry Evans blocked a shot with his arm – but he now admits that he got it wrong.

“It was a sad and unpleasant moment for me, sad because I made that mistake,” Hategan

This has now prompted Paddy Power to refund all single bets on Michael O’Neill’s men qualifying for the World Cup, amounting to thousands of pounds in stakes.

Spokesman Paddy Power said: “The referee’s admission is refreshing but, ultimately, doesn’t make much difference to disappointed fans.

“We decided to give the punters some justice, too, by refunding those who backed Northern Ireland to qualify for Russia.”