Henry Handball

[Bumble]

Oh yeah I won't deny that he knew what he was doing. Showed great fingertip control to keep the ball in.

He'd get a run in the GAA

 

[Mong]

Gee whiz.. A lot of emotion around this one for some reason.. Is it any worse than any other "professional fouls" we see regualrly that stop goals being scored?

 

[pennywisealfie]

LOL @ people getting fired up at my comments. Yes, I realize that the Republic of Ireland isnt officially classified as a British nation anymore, however it was up until the early part of last century. So, while im sure you all teach Geography at a high level University, and any false statements about the soverignity of certain states may get you a little upset, theres no need to get picky just because Super Henry kicked some ass.

As for Jason Mahers comment. LOL, Belfast. Right on man.

 

[CC_Eagle]

Harden up you drunk, leprechaun chasing softc*cks.

Ireland had two leg's to win the game. It's unfortunate that a bad refereeing decision has cost them a spot at the WC, but they had 180 minutes of chances to win the game.

They have no one to blame but themselves.

 

[griffo346]

FIFA receive Ireland demands but play down replay hopes

November 20, 2009 FIFA said on Thursday it had received a letter from the Irish Football Association (FAI) requesting a replay of their controversial World Cup qualifying play-off against France.
However, world football's ruling body seemed to indicate there could be little chance of granting that request.

"We've received the letter from the Irish federation," a FIFA spokesman said, although he was unable to say when any decision would be made.

After beating the Republic of Ireland 1-0 in Dublin, France levelled the second leg in Paris 1-1 in extra-time to qualify for the World Cup finals with Ireland crashing out.

The match was hugely controversial, however, as France captain Thierry Henry used his hand to stop the ball going out of play before passing to William Gallas to head the goal which gave France a 2-1 win on aggregate.

What was sporting now has now turned political, with the Ireland Prime Minister lending his weight to calls for a replay - and France's Prime Minister Francois Fillon responding by saying governments should avoid interfering.

Earlier on Thursday the FAI said in a statement: "The blatantly incorrect decision by the referee to award the goal has damaged the integrity of the sport.

"We now call on FIFA, as the world governing body for our sport, to organise for this match to be replayed."

The Irish football body pointed to a precedent: a FIFA decision in 2005 to invalidate the result of a World Cup qualification match between Uzbekistan and Bahrain on the basis of "a technical error by the referee of the match".

In that case an Uzbekistan player had infringed the rules by entering the Bahrain defensive area while a penalty was being taken by one of his teammates.

Instead of having the penalty re-taken, the match referee gave an indirect free kick to Bahrain.

The FAI said it hoped FIFA would "act in a similar fashion so that the standards of fair play and integrity can be protected".

However when asked about such a precedent FIFA said: "It's a very different. (During the Bahrain v Uzbekistan match), the referee saw the incident in question and simply failed to apply the proper rules.

Agence France-Presse


http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26375222-5019291,00.html

 

[jc155776]

Hahahaha

Would this hatred all be going on had it been Ireland who won the match in the fashion?

I hate the cheese eating surrender monkeys as much as anyone but they did what they needed to do to win. They didn't get caught. Blame the ref, not Henry.

He took the odds to the decision and it paid off.

If that was Cahill in a world cup game we would be loving it.

 

[The Tank]

Oh dear, Ireland actually think they're a snowballs chance in hell of getting a replay! FMD, it was sh*tty from Henry, but as if that'd earn them a replay. People getting way too emotional about this.

 

[aqua_duck]

Well imo blatant cheating is far worse than calling the referee a "f**king disgrace"

lol if Drogba hadn't been restrained by the Chelsea staff he would've belted the ref, he was uncontrollable that day. Speaking of cheating and intentional how bout Drogba's dives, oh and Bosingwa's 'challenge' on Benayoun last season, that was a pretty intentional grubby act

 

[skeepe]

I fully support the FAI trying to get this game replayed. I realise they don't have a chance, but in the interests of common decency and fair play, it should be. Unfortunately FIFA (aka, French International Football Association) don't stand for fair play, as much as they'd like us to believe it.

As for Henry, he had a couple of choices here. He could have done the honourable thing and told the referee he had cheated (and don't laugh, there is precedent for this - see Robbie Fowler - albeit unsuccessfully - telling the referee he hadn't been fouled when awarded a penalty some years ago), or acted without any courage whatsoever and accepted the fact that he blatantly broke the laws of the game, acted outside the bounds of fair play and single-handedly destroyed the reputation of all French sportsmen... and he chose the latter.

If France are at the world cup next year, I hope Henry and the contemptuous little prick Lassanna Diarra are on the end of some extreme on-field justice.

 

[Game_Breaker]

We do see blatant cheating nearly every game. Imo there isn't much difference between what Henry did and whenever a player goes down, when there is no contact made to them, in the penalty box in an attempt to con the ref. Both are trying to cheat the referree to gain an advantage for their team. I probably should have made it clearer as to what I was referring to.

As some have already pointed out, I feel the second handball was more a more of a reflex thing. In the end it admittedly looked pretty bad.

But whatever. You could say it made up for Anelka not getting his penalty when Given tripped him.

Nah, I think theres a big difference

Diving takes more effort, especially if the player pretends like he just got shot by a sniper.

What Henry did was more of a desperate reaction, call it instinctive cheating.

He had a split second to react to an unexpected situation.

Cheating it was, but driven by desperation and instinct

 

[Mr Angry]

That ref would not want go to Ireland to often.

How did he miss it?

Was it a mistake?

Was he paid?

 

[Flapper]

That ref would not want go to Ireland to often.

How did he miss it?

Was it a mistake?

Was he paid?

The fact FIFA changed the method of qualification midway through the qualifiers when it became apparent too many of those pesky minnows were outplaying the "big" teams and teams like France (gasp) mightn't be good enough to qualify, once they did that anything else to aid proceedings should things not go to plan can't be dismissed.

 

[Tommax25]

it served its purpose. Getting a good team to the world cup and eliminating a british nation! yay.

Ireland is not a british nation.

The cheating scum (france to me from now until eternity) dont deserve to be there in 2010. They had the draw handed to them and they got the plum pick of the home/away draw aswell (playing home in nthe second leg) AND STILL they had to rely on cheating and either absolute incompetence or blatant match fixing from the ref to get through. I hope the cheating scum, with their cheating scum of a captain,enjoy their tainted visit to the world cup. I will be cheering for every team that faces them, including england if they play them, and thats saying something. I'm so proud of the boys and I know that they deserved to go through, and I'd rather lose honestly and with honour then qualify by cheating and rorting the system, like the cheating scum have done.

 

[Flapper]

Of course if the FFF didn't persist with Domenech, who is possibly the worst national coach anyone has ever seen, the French may have been organised enough to win it, or not even need to play a playoff in the first place. They weren't, and they're a pack of cheating merkins who should be given the flick.

 

[Cerne Abbas Giant]

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26371330-5019291,00.html
Thierry Henry admits handling the ball for France against the Republic of Ireland.
What a howler by the ref with big stakes involved.
I'm glad we have the video ref, even if it does take 7 replays.

 

[Bumble]

lol if Drogba hadn't been restrained by the Chelsea staff he would've belted the ref, he was uncontrollable that day. Speaking of cheating and intentional how bout Drogba's dives, oh and Bosingwa's 'challenge' on Benayoun last season, that was a pretty intentional grubby act

Yeah, of course he would :roll:

 

[Ridders]

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World Cup - Keane tells Irish: Get over it

Reuters - Fri, 20 Nov 14:22:00 2009

Former Ireland captain Roy Keane has blamed Ireland's defenders and goalkeeper rather than Thierry Henry for the controversial goal which ended their World Cup hopes.

France captain Henry has admitted he handled the ball in an incident on Wednesday which enabled France to qualify for next year's World Cup at the expense of Ireland.
Keane, now manager of Championship side Ipswich Town, said: "France were there for the taking and Ireland didn't do it. Same old story.
"They can complain all they want but France are going to the World Cup. Get over it.
"If I'd been there in the dressing room after the game, I wouldn't be talking about the handball. I'd focus on why the defenders didn't clear it. They should've cleared it.

"I'd be more annoyed with my defenders and my goalkeeper than Thierry Henry. How can you let the ball bounce in your six-yard box? How can you let Thierry Henry get goal-side of you? If the ball goes into the six-yard box, where the hell is my goalkeeper? These are skills and lessons you learn as a schoolboy.
"Ireland had their chances in the two games and they never took them but it's the usual FAI reaction - 'we've been robbed, the honesty of the game...' It's rubbish."
Keane has never seen eye to eye with Irish officialdom and walked out of the squad on the eve of the 2002 World Cup over his frustration at what he considered sub-standard preparations.
The former Manchester United midfielder also pointed out that Ireland had benefitted from a controversial penalty in their favour in a 2-1 qualifying win over Georgia.
"It was one of the worst decisions I've ever seen which changed the whole course of the game," he said.
"I don't remember the FAI after the game saying we should give them a replay."
Meanwhile former Ireland striker Niall Quinn has labelled the incident the "biggest injustice in sport".
The Sunderland chairman told the club's official website: "I was at the first leg and it was disappointing because France were lucky on the night.
"We hoped it would be us who got the breaks in France but it wasn't to be.
"People talk about Maradona's Hand of God goal but I'd say that (Henry's goal) was the biggest injustice I've ever seen in sport. Maybe I feel it more because I'm Irish."

He added: "All that I believe in and all that I love about sport was shattered when I saw something like that.
"It's possibly the lowest I've felt at any sporting moment in my life."
Reuters

Trust the voice of reason, from the Irish side, to come from Roy Keane of all people :crazy:

 

[Bumble]

Yes, Roy Keane. A man that harbours no ill will towards the RAI whatsoever. F**ks sake :lol:

 

[Ridders]

His beef with the RAI doesn't have to mean that the point he's making isn't valid.

 

[pennywisealfie]

Ireland is not a british nation.

oh yeah?? f**k man, thanks for clearing that up. I didnt know hey. I wish i was the man at geography like you buddy!