Here is an extract from my article from today's The First Post.
It was perhaps the most blatant act of cheating in an important international football match since Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' knocked England out of the World Cup in 1986.
French striker Thierry Henry openly admits that he handled the ball in the move which led to his country's decisive goal in last night's World Cup qualifier with the Republic of Ireland.
But his attempt to pass responsibility on to the referee - who was unsighted - is unlikely to assuage the anger and sense of outrage felt by Republic of Ireland players and supporters, whose team misses out on next year's World Cup finals in South Africa as a result.
A 'We Irish Hate Thierry Henry the Cheat' Facebook page has already been set up: by 9am this morning, it had over 22,000 fans. "We got robbed. It's cost a lot of us our dreams - as a boy I used to dream of playing in the World Cup, and now I'm not," bemoaned Irish defender Sean St Ledger.
It's not the first time that Henry, once the pride of Arsenal, now with Barcelona, has attempted to gain an unfair advantage at a vital stage of an international match.
You can read the whole of the article - and what we can do to make sure that cheats like Henry don’t prosper-here.
UPDATE: Gavin McDonald has written in asking me to publicise a petition he has organised calling for Thierry Henry to be banned from playing in next year's World Cup.
Here's the link, please consider giving it your support.
16 comments:
I am Irish and watched my team fight for their lives last night - I have never seen them fight so hard and play so well, they truly deserved to win last night. But this dream was shattered not by a legitimate french goal but by a farcical one which shouldve been dismissed as soon as the ball hit the net but the ref did not care. Even as Shay Given, the Irish goalkeeper who was standing two yards away from Henry, ran to the ref and tried to explain, Martin Hennson had already made his decision.
I think what drives me crazy is the fact that this 'goal' is allowed to stand and France will go through after blatantly 'cheating'. But it is the ref who is to blame - not that I buy Henry's post-match comments. He could have easily owned up to his mistake - especially when you are on a world stage with 1.45 million people watching you.
I want a replay.
Agree that video evidence is the only way forward. It would have to be restricted to penalty area incidents only, though, such as fouls, diving and doubts about whether the ball has gone over the goal-line. If it were used for every offside, ordinary foul and so on it would be too intrusive.
- questionnaire
I don't follow football. But I do notice the re-emergence of political traditions assumed dead. Such as the idea that all these islands are essentially one nation, whose enemy is the French. Half right is a good start.
Neil, it's quite simple:
The arseholes always win. My only hope is that Algeria are drawn in a group with France and knock them out.
I agree with questionnaire:
Video evidence and a few other reforms. The whole situation is farcical. You can see on TV within two seconds whether a goal should stand, yet the referee has to more or less second guess.
Matches are now like a game of Cluedo for the referee. I have no evidence for this, but I'd say that over 50% of matches are more or less decided by referees.
Surely this game has to be replayed, there is too much at stake for it just to be brushed off.
FAX number for FIFA! +41-43-222 7878
We all know that if it happened up the other end that Platini would already have the rules changed and a replay organised!
But I would like to point out that anyone that can read French will see that respect to the French people for their reaction of disgust to Henry's actions, so for the people that France I hope that they go on to do well in the World Cup! I had a look at this link below that has some good football related Facebook Statuses for the World Cup in its Facebook Status Generator:
http://www.theisbook.com/status-generator/
Fair Play must shine through and FIFA have got a big message to send out now by banning Henry from the World Cup!
Surely this game has to be replayed, there is too much at stake for it just to be brushed off. We need to bombard FIFA!
FAX number for FIFA! +41-43-222 7878
We all know that if it happened up the other end that Platini would already have the rules changed and a replay organised!
But I would like to point out that anyone that can read French will see that respect to the French people for their reaction of disgust to Henry's actions, so for the people that France I hope that they go on to do well in the World Cup! I had a look at this link below that has some good football related Facebook Statuses for the World Cup in its Facebook Status Generator:
http://www.theisbook.com/status-generator/
Fair Play must shine through and FIFA have got a big message to send out now by banning Henry from the World Cup!
You have blogged before on the decline of the FA Cup Final. I seem to recall that Henry was the first player I ever saw wasting time near the corner flag in the final minutes of a Final when Arsenal were ahead, thus demeaning what used to be a great football occasion.
As I understand it the Irish are demanding a replay, but I reckon that they have no chance. A pity, but there you go.
BTW. little Gimlet has a post up using your piece as a hook, but he is not discussing the matter of the moment. Rather he goes on about your use of English. The man needs to go away and have a nice long wank, but in the meantime I have a posting of my own up mocking him.
Saves you the bother...
As your prime minister and also your justice minister believe French people are cheaters, so Nicolas Sarkozy is the president of cheaters.
Why don’t Brian Cowen cuts diplomatic relation with France???
Poor Ireland, you are so pity. If it happened that Keane or Doyle have scored with their hands, I am sure they would never tell the referee their act. For centuries English is treating your people as subordinate as proved reaction from all your society about this, a game, just a game.
How about Henry only being allowed to play wearing a full clown's outfit with the word 'cheat' on his back?
Hello,
Please help me get the word out, i have set up a "Thierry Henry Must Be Banned From World Cup" Petition. I plan to take it to FIFA. Every signature however i need alot of people to get the word out to family and friends.
Please advertise the link below:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/thierry-henry-must-be-banned-from-world-cupThierry
Regards
Gavin McDonald
An outrage. Henry and the French team should be ashamed.
I can't believe that some people are blaming the ref more than Henry. The incident happened at pace in a crowded penalty box.
Blaming the ref is just a way for players to avoid responsibilty for blatant dishonesty.
Hopefully the French will get destroyed in SA, like they did in the last 2 tournaments.
France have some great individual players but as a team they are distinctly mediocre. Even when they won the WC in '98 they never really matched the hype-- golden goal against Paraguay, saved by Thuram in the semis, 2 set pieces against a shambolic Brazil who never turned up, Stephan Guivarch...
Still, it's only a game and all that. Video evidence please.
Henrys assertion that it was up to the ref to spot his cheating should be a timly reminder to his wife/girlfriend/boyfriend(well who knows)to be on your guard. The next time he “drops his hand” somewhere he shouldnt it will be your responsibility to catch him, after all once a cheat!!!!!
Nay.....
If a footballer breaks the rules... he shouldn't be the target of your stones!!!
Use the video reply????
the Fifa used it before in the case of Zidan,,, why not to use it again in this important game?????
Henry is excellent ... and he deserve to win ... he played in accordance with the rules.........
What a cheater, he is ashamed. Those of you who say its part of the game have no morals and no character. A real player would have stopped or admitted to the ref. He blatantely and deliberately cheated and denied it. Its like getting caught with your hands in the cookie jar and saying that it wasn't you. Pitiful and disgusting. France you will be booed to the end, consider your selves the black sheep of the world cup.
no... thierry henry, yes, has admitted to a handball in that soccer match. But in the spur of the moment when hes rite up against the goal, he's not going to immediately stop. so he crossed it in and someone on his team got the goal in.
I am not necesarily a henry fan but he is indeed a talented player. I actually was in favor of the irish to win that match. And henry even was alright with replaying the match.
in my opnion, the match should be replayed again to get a good result.
Both teams worked very hard up to that point, and both came out very strong, but the simple decision of a REF should NOT decide who wins the game.
it should be the skill, talent, and determination of the team.
I believe that was a crazy incident but henry should not be shunned and the match should be replayed. this is important because the irish now cant compete in the wrld cup finals. refs should not decide who wins. It should be the better team.
even tho he didnt stop rite away when it hit his hand, hes not going to stop rite there and just stop the game. It was in the spur of the moment and was close to scoring.
Post a Comment