France vs Republic of Ireland 2010 FIFA World Cup play-off
Encyclopedia
The France vs Republic of Ireland 2010 FIFA World Cup
play-off, dubbed by the media as the Hand of Frog affair, was a controversial association football game played on 18 November 2009 in the Stade de France
outside Paris between the national teams of France
and the Republic of Ireland
. It was the second leg of a two leg play-off in the UEFA Second Round
of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
to be held in South Africa. The game finished in a draw, but as France had won the first leg at Croke Park
it meant that they progressed to the finals at the expense of Ireland. After the game, the French captain Thierry Henry
admitted to Irish defender Richard Dunne
that he had illegally handled the ball in the build-up to the scoring of the match-winning goal, scored by William Gallas
in extra time with 17 minutes remaining in the game.
The incident led to calls from the Football Association of Ireland
(FAI) and the Government of Ireland to the world governing body FIFA
for the result to be set aside and for the game to be replayed, which were rejected two days later. The FAI then requested to be allowed to enter the World Cup as an unprecedented 33rd entrant. Henry, previously seen by many in the sport as a fair footballer, was characterised as cheating, with the incident being compared to Diego Maradona
's infamous "Hand of God" goal, and TIME magazine
comparing Henry's performance to a top ten list of sporting cheats. Henry considered retiring from international football due to the reactions to the game, while the Swedish
match referee Martin Hansson
considered quitting as a referee.
The result sparked debate on the issue of fair play in football, actively supported by FIFA through the Fair Play Award
and Fair Play Trophy. The game also saw a continuation of the debate on the introduction of video refereeing into football, which is opposed by FIFA, and put further emphasis on the proposed introduction of Additional Assistant Referees (AARs) under trial in the Europa League. At an emergency meeting of the FIFA Executive Committee called in part as a result of the handball controversy, FIFA announced it was setting up an inquiry into the options for technology of extra officials in football, but ruled out any changes being introduced in time for the 2010 World Cup. Henry's case was passed to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for investigation, which ruled that it could not sanction Henry under the text of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.
. According to FIFA
, the organisers of the competition and the worldwide governing body of football, the 2006 final
was watched by an estimated audience of 715.1 million people globally.
Over the years, the format for the qualification phase has varied. Before 1990, the Republic of Ireland had never qualified for the Finals tournament, while France's best record was two third place finishes, in 1958
and 1986
. Since 1990, the record of the two nations is as follows:
began in 2007, and as European (UEFA
) affiliated teams, France
and the Republic of Ireland
began this process in the European qualification phase
, where 53 teams competed for 13 spots in the Finals.
Under the rules for the 2010 tournament, UEFA qualification was again a two stage process, with teams first able to qualify automatically by being the winner of one of 9 qualifying groups (the First Round), with a second chance to qualify for eight of the nine second place finishers, via a knock-out phase (the Second Round) of four games between eight second placed teams, contested over two legs, home and away, vying for four final UEFA qualifying places. Both France and the Republic failed to qualify as winners of their First Round Group (France in Group 7
, the Republic in Group 8
), but both teams finished in second place with enough points to allow them to advance to the UEFA Second Round knock-out stage
.
The draw for the European World Cup play-offs was held in Zürich
on 19 October 2009. FIFA announced on 29 September 2009 that it would introduce a seeding system. Many of the second seeded teams felt cheated by FIFA. The eight teams in the draw were divided into two pots of four; France were seeded along with Greece
, Portugal
and Russia
, while Ireland were unseeded, alongside Bosnia and Herzegovina
, Slovenia
and Ukraine
. Ireland were drawn to play France, with the first of their two games to be played in Ireland on 14 November 2009. The way the seeding process was handled led some to claim at the time that UEFA had changed the rules half-way through to favour to the higher profile teams like France and Portugal, preferring them to qualify over "smaller" nations.
The 18 November date of the second leg of the France vs Republic of Ireland play-off in Paris coincided with the date of other qualification matches around the world which marked the completion of the entire qualification process for 2010, and with their win, France ultimately joined Algeria
, Greece
, Slovenia
, Portugal
and Uruguay
as the last of the 32 competitors in South Africa.
Second leg
Tiebreak criteria
took a free kick
just outside the centre circle in the Irish half. He lofted it toward French captain Thierry Henry
, who was making a run in the penalty area
to Irish goalkeeper Shay Given
's right hand side. The ball bounced once to Henry, now inside the goal area to the left of the goal. As it bounced upwards, Henry handled the ball twice with his left hand, stopping it going out of play and bringing the ball under control, before tapping the ball with the outside of his right foot past Given standing at the near goal post. The ball travelled the short distance to William Gallas
arriving in the middle of the goal, who headed
the ball into the Irish net.
The referee immediately signalled the goal with Irish players inside the penalty box appealing by raising their arms, and as Henry wheeled away in celebration around the back of the Irish goal, Given ran to the referee gesticulating that a handball offence had occurred, while Irish manager Giovanni Trapattoni
did the same to the fourth official.
The handball offence was not seen by the referee or his two assistants, according to the BBC. According to Sky Sports
, the match officials also missed two French players in an offside position during the same attack.
After FIFA denied the FAI request for a replay, Henry released a statement.
Henry said that he had considered quitting international football after the reactions to the incident, but was persuaded not to by friends and family. He criticised the FFF for their lack of support in the aftermath of the controversy. He regretted the immediate celebration of the goal but put it down to the emotion of the moment, and reflected that not informing the referee had been a mistake. On the issue of lasting impact of the incident, Henry said "I don't think that all I have achieved in my career up until now will be bespoiled by this".
Henry later called FIFA President Sepp Blatter
over the incident. Blatter stated Henry had told him his family had been threatened over the incident by fans.
team, Martin Hansson
was the match referee, assisted by his two assistant referees
, Fredrik Nilsson and Stefan Wittberg.
Referee Hansson told Sveriges Radio
Blekinge
"I cannot comment on the game itself but life must go on. I will ride this storm as well". In his first substantial comment on the incident, Hansson spoke to the regional Swedish newpspaper Sydöstran on 24 November. While repeating the fact that FIFA rules prevented him commenting on the game until the investigation concluded, he said the incident was neither his or his referee team's fault. Referring to a graphic illustration printed earlier in The Times
and reproduced in some Swedish newspapers, he said "[the graphic] clears the whole refereeing team in this incident". The picture, titled 'Why the referee missed it', purported to show how neither the referee or the assistant referee could have seen the handball incident, due to the presence of three Irish players blocking Hansson's view from his position on the edge of the penalty area
, and Irish goalkeeper Shay Given
's position obscuring the sightline of the assistant referee
, Nilsson, who was standing on the right hand touchline. He also stated that the reaction to the game had made him consider quitting his job as a referee. On June 21, during the World Cup finals, Hansson said, "After the game, we were sitting in the dressing room and I cried. I realized what a mistake it was."
stated he did not blame Henry, nor did he expect a replay would occur, but he did believe the incident would bring further pressure on FIFA to introduce goal-line technology
, stating "There is a 30-second stop and we clarify the situation...I'm sure in the future they will have to do something about it. It wasn't up to Henry to say 'I touched it with my hand". Trapattoni also questioned the selection of the match referee, stating "For this important game we needed a stronger referee - an important referee", and went on to also question the format of the qualifying round matches.
French team manager Raymond Domenech
said of the game, "I don't see what we could have done better...We needed to qualify and we did that, even if it was painful. Victories like this one, at the end of a difficult campaign, give this side heart and soul", although criticism in France of his team, which had existed before the game, continued. Domenech later criticised the condemnation of Henry and France, and questioned the right of former French players like Cantona and Lizarazu to criticise his record as the French coach.
hit out at the presidents of FIFA
and UEFA
following Ireland's World Cup exit, claiming they would be 'delighted' that France had gone through thanks to a hugely controversial winning goal. He told BBC Radio Five Live
, "They're all probably clapping hands, Platini sitting up there on the phone to Sepp Blatter, probably texting each other, delighted with the result." After Henry's statement, Keane concurred with his call for a replay in the interest of fair play, stating "On behalf of the Republic of Ireland players, I would like to thank Thierry Henry...As captain of the French team, to make such a statement took courage and honour, and all of us recognise that".
In general, the Irish players blamed the officials rather than Henry. Damien Duff admitted he would have done the same had it been to Ireland's advantage, and said: "If it was down the other end and it was going out of play, I would have chanced my arm. You can't blame him (Henry). He's a clever player - but you expect the ref to see it, it was so blatant." Many players, including Duff, supported call for the introduction of video technology. Seán St Ledger
hoped France would be put in a 'group of death
' in the World Cup draw, but feared they might go on to win the tournament.
Defender Richard Dunne
later spoke of how he was unaware of the extent of Henry's involvement when he sat down with him on the pitch at the end of the match and admitted the handball. Dunne properly viewed the incident for the first time on a computer in his team's dressing room. He also described how "heartbreaking" the whole experience was, his lack of interest in the draw or who France's opponents might be in the finals and how "disappointing" it would be when the tournament eventually took place.
Given was critical of Sepp Blatter's later actions, stating his various announcements "rubbed salt in the wounds" and his contradictory comments about Henry were "beyond a joke". He expressed doubt he would get over the incident in his lifetime. Of Henry, he said "I'm not saying he's a cheat but what he's done is illegal".
Dunne was later critical of Blatter's offer of moral compensation, describing it as "taking the mickey". He doubted Robbie Keane would be going to FIFA to collect any such award. He reiterated the belief that ever since the earlier seedings controversy, FIFA had been showing France unfair favour.
(FAI) filed a formal complaint with FIFA and the French Football Federation
(FFF), and stated "The handball was recognised by the FIFA commissioner, the referee observer and the match officials, as well as by the player himself." The FAI cited precedent for the invalidation of the result, using the example of a previous World Cup qualification match between Uzbekistan
and Bahrain
, overturned by FIFA due to a 'technical error by the referee of the match'. In that game, the referee had failed to have a penalty kick re-taken after an attacker encroached on the penalty area. FAI chief executive John Delaney
said "It is up to the people who govern the game now, if they really believe in the principles of fair play then step forward....If we had qualified in this manner, I wouldn't be happy" The president of the (FFF) Jean-Pierre Escalettes said "You have to take a philosophical approach to this match."
On 20 November, FIFA rejected the request for a replay, stating to the FAI:
After FIFA and Thierry Henry's statement, the FAI urged the FFF to respect their views and those of the captains of both teams, to replay the game to "protect the integrity of the game worldwide". The FFF, while sympathetic, endorsed the FIFA ruling.
Following the FFF's refusal to support a replay, the FAI expressed "deep disappointment".
for 90 minutes on Friday 27 November. The FAI proposed a number of ways the incident could be prevented in future, and agreeing that the match could not be replayed, they instead also officially requested to be allowed to enter the World Cup as an unprecedented extra 33rd entrant. Blatter stated he would raise the Irish request at the FIFA EGM. RTÉ Sport
speculated that the request would be "politely turned down". The request drew 'laughter' when he relayed it to the Soccerex conference the following Monday. Blatter was of the opinion that if the Republic of Ireland were admitted as an extra entrant, Costa Rica
would also have to be considered as well, having also been unfairly eliminated by an offside goal in a play-off against Uruguay
in the CONCACAF v CONMEBOL play-off. FIFA Secretary general Jerome Valcke however ruled it out on 1 December, one day before the meeting, clarifying that Blatter's comments regarding other teams had already shown the request was "impossible" and had "no hope" of being granted. According to The Guardian on 30 November, the Irish had not expected the request to be successful, but they had also 'asked FIFA to consider compensating them in some other way, perhaps by seeding them in the draw for the 2014 World Cup
'.
The FAI's proposals included: no changes to competition formats mid-tournament (referring to the play off group seeding change), introduce video technology at the highest level, implement AAR's for all international matches, introduce stronger sanctions for players who breach the laws of the game in a "match defining way", and issuing a statement that "FIFA does not condone breaches" of those Laws, referring to Sepp Blatter's previous statements of empathy with Henry. The FAI stated they did not ask for any action to be taken against Henry.
Delaney reacted angrily to Blatter's revelation of what was meant to have been agreed as a confidential submission, complaining to the FIFA General Secretary, calling it "disrespectful to our country", and stating the 33rd team proposal had been "very much peripheral" to their suggestions, and was only discussed "for a minute or two" in the meeting. The FAI asserted that the 33rd place request had not even been included in any of the written submissions to FIFA.
Blatter apologised to the FAI on 2 December for the fact and the media perception of his comments at Soccerex regarding their request for entry as a 33rd team, and said "I have nothing against the Irish, they were very sporting people when they came to FIFA and it is a pity that it has been now communicated in this way." After the EGM, John Delaney described FIFA as the "biggest losers" in the controversy for having "made one mistake after another", referring to the changing of the play-off group seeding rules mid-competition, FIFA's actions and the overall effect of the imagery of Henry's goal on the world game, and Sepp Blatter's subsequent dealings with the FAI.
had initially faced criticism for refusing to comment on the incident. His first comments came with a report in L'Équipe
, and during his opening address at the Soccerex football conference in Johannesburg
, both on Sunday 29 November.
Blatter said that telling the referee was not Henry's responsibility, comparing a similar incident in his own playing career, when he did not tell the referee about an advantage gained by shirt-pulling. Blatter said that referee Hansson "should have taken the time to reflect rather than immediately awarding the goal".
On the issue of fair play, Blatter said "There is a lack of discipline and respect in the game by the players because they are cheating" and "How can it happen that all over the world, through TV cameras, we have seen through a cheating handball that a pass was given for a goal? Everyone is asking what is and what isn't fair play. The highest crime in football is touching the ball with the hands". Referring to the possibility of using AAR's or goal line technology, Blatter stated "match control is now is on the agenda. How shall we avoid such situations as we have seen in this very specific match?" Blatter repeated his stated opposition to video refereeing, saying "With technology, you have to stop a match. You have a look at cameras... We have to maintain the human face of football and not go into technology".
On the issue of fair play at the World Cup, after the EGM Blatter said:
on 2 December in Cape Town
, where members were already due to meet to discuss the seedings for the World Cup, to discuss various recent incidents affecting the world game. According to BBC Radio 5 Live
sports news correspondent Gordon Farquhar, the Henry incident would be "high on the agenda". Gordon Smith, the SFA
chief executive and IFAB board member, believed that introduction of AAR's in time for the World Cup would be pressed for at the EGM by long time supporter and UEFA President Michel Platini
, and Smith said of the proposal "I feel that it has its advantages at the highest levels of the games. When there's massive TV coverage the problems are highlighted all over the world so this is something we may have to look at". The FAI would be given the chance to present their views at the EGM, with Delaney hoping it would not be a "token" gesture, criticising the lack of direct contact from FIFA. FIFA President Sepp Blatter
confirmed on 30 November that the EGM would consider the use of AAR's and goal line technology in the 2010 World Cup, and changing the 2-leg play off qualification format, possibly in favour of a single game played at a neutral venue.
The FIFA Extraordinary General Meeting was held on 2 December at the International Conference Center
in Cape Town The Executive Committee consists of FIFA President Sepp Blatter
, eight vice-presidents and 15 members, and the General Secretary Jérôme Valcke, and contains representatives of the confederations and associations around the world. In response to Blatter's comments at Soccerex and before the EMG, the FAI formally notified FIFA in writing that they were withdrawing their 33rd place request, and accordingly it was not considered. The FAI's other suggestions were however considered.
According to FIFA, the EGM discussion resulted in "concrete proposals" to ensure improvements were made on the issues raised. According to Blatter, the committee recognised the game was at a "crossroads" and that at the highest levels, where 32 cameras will observe the 2010 World Cup, it was now "impossible" for just the referee and his two assistants to "see everything".
The EGM announced that FIFA would be setting up an inquiry into future use of extra assistants and technology. The new inquiry would, according to Blatter, "have a look at technology or additional persons". Described as a "full inquiry" or "working party" by media commentators, it was to comprise a new FIFA committee with input drawn in part from the existing Referees, Football, Technical and Medical Committees.
The expected introduction of AAR's for the 2010 World Cup was ruled out. The committee "stressed that it would be too soon to implement this new system at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa" Blatter explained that, as AAR's had not been trialled outside of Europe, the committee was of the opinion that any experiment must be carried out "globally" before it can be used in a World Cup. Blatter confirmed that the experiment with AAR's in the Europa League would continue into the 2010 knock-out stages. The meeting also ruled out the use of video refereeing systems similar to those seen in rugby, cricket and tennis. Blatter stated that two companies investigating goal-line technology
were due to report their results to International Football Association Board
(IFAB) in March 2010. FIFA also called on the General Secretaries of the Continental Federations to propose improvements to the format of the Qualification and Play-Off phase of the World Cup competition, for submission by March 2010.
for eight games for use of an elbow during the 1994 World Cup
quarter-final, and banning Marco Materazzi
for two games for his verbal provocation of Zinedine Zidane
in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final
, resulting in the infamous headbutting incident.
On 2 December after the FIFA EGM it was announced that FIFA's Disciplinary Committee would open an investigation into Henry's handball. No timetable was given for when the investigation, chaired by Swiss
lawyer Marcel Mathier, would rule on the case.
Blatter said of the decision to single out Henry for investigation of a handball:
According to the Associated Press, the committee has the 'authority to impose a one-match suspension on Henry, which would take effect at the start of the World Cup in June'. According to the BBC, FIFA said 'there was no certainty Henry would be banned if found guilty'.
On 18 January 2010 it was announced Henry would face no sanctions in relation to the incident, after the Committee found it had "no legal foundation" to deal with the case, as the relevant rules only covered sanctions for preventing a goal by illegally handling the ball. FIFA rules reportedly forbade any other action as the referee had not seen the original incident. FIFA released the following statement:
The FFF president Jean-Pierre Escalettes hoped the announcement would mark the end of the incident, stating of the decision that is "not astonishing, it is logical".
for the 2010 World Cup draw had been a result of the controversy, stating that the change to the system to only using the world rankings as at October 2009 was fairer than past systems. The FFF President described the decision as logical, although former French coach Michel Hidalgo disagreed.
In a quirk of the resulting draw, the lack of seeding ultimately did not have a detrimental effect on France, as they were drawn into Group A
. By already being allotted to the hosts South Africa
, a Group A draw was the only possible outcome where France would not have been placed into a group with one of the top 7 seeded teams. South Africa at 86th were the lowest ranked team competing in the tournament, and this was the outcome which the Irish Times had predicted would cause the Irish to feel the most aggrieved. At the finals, France ultimately failed to qualify from their group, failing to win a game and managing only a solitary point in their first match against Uruguay.
France and the Republic of Ireland will not meet in the qualifying matches
for the 2012 European Championships, drawn in January with the matches due to begin in September 2010. France were drawn in Group D
while Ireland were drawn in Group B
, although they were drawn together in the practice run for the draw held the day before.
called it a good decision, defending Hansson as having not being responsible as he had not seen the hand-ball.
's infamous "Hand of God" goal in the 1986 World Cup, which led to the incident being labelled as the 'Hand of Frog' the 'Hand of Gaul'http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/henrys-hand-of-gaul-cheats-irish-of-world-chance/story-e6frg7mf-1225799918338 and the 'Hand of Henry' affair.
called on FIFA for a replay and stated "fair play is a fundamental part of the game". Cowen raised the issue with French President Nicolas Sarkozy
while both were at the European Union
summit in Brussels
on 19 November 2009. After the summit, Sarkozy stated "I told Brian Cowen how sorry I was for them...But don't ask me to substitute myself for the referee, or the French football authorities, or the European football authorities."
The incident was criticised in Dáil Éireann
, the Irish Parliament. The Irish Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern
called on FIFA to act in the interests of fair play. The French Prime Minister François Fillon
stated that the 'Irish government should not interfere in footballing decisions'. Rama Yade
, French Secretary of State for Sports, and FFF vice-president Noël Le Graët both defended Henry from accusations of intentional cheating, pointing to his playing record, and stating that he should be presumed innocent unless he stated he deliberately set out to cheat.
The French Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot and Christine Lagarde
Minister of Economic Affairs were sympathetic to the Irish viewpoint.
defended Henry, stating the handball was instinctive and that the blame lay with the referee, pointing out that had the goal not been scored, the match would still have gone to penalties. Houllier also called for the introduction of video refereeing.
According to The Independent
, the organiser of the 2010 World Cup Danny Jordaan
resisted calls for video refereeing and believed that 'disputed decisions should be considered part of football'. Leslie Irvine, the Northern Irish
former referee and FIFA Instructor on the referee selection panel for the 2010 World Cup, was of the opinion that referee Hansson was not to blame for the incident, as by simply not seeing the incident he had not committed a 'technical infringement', unlike the referee in the Uzbekistan Bahrain game, and said Thierry Henry bore "moral responsibility" for the controversy. Jacques Rogge
, president of the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) praised Henry's decision to express his regrets over the affair, but declined to comment further, having not seen the incident. On the eve of the FIFA EGM, FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke, while lamenting the fact that after 853 matches in the qualifying process, only one was being talked about, he said "It's important to make sure what happened will not happen again".
said "maybe the linesman could help, but even the linesman doesn't see the game. We say fair play, but you know I don't think it was unfair, something that goes in one second... The result was unfair, but unfortunately you can't change that"
Football pundits Johnny Giles
, Eamon Dunphy
and Graeme Souness
, analysing the video replays on RTÉ Two
, disputed whether Shay Given or anybody else was obscuring the view of the assistant referee from seeing the incident, although they were not certain the assistant could have flagged with certainty for handball even if he had a clear line of sight, due to the speed of the incident and flight of the ball. Former Irish international and football pundit Mark Lawrenson
said "The man cheated. He controlled the ball with the second handball. It is a Maradona moment". Another former Irish international Tony Cascarino
wrote in The Times
that Henry "speaks so eloquently, but to me now he'll always be insincere, a faker, someone who cares only about himself". Former French international David Ginola
said "I'm very embarrassed by the situation...I don’t feel very proud to be French this morning. The Irish played very well and they deserved to go through as much as France, maybe more. I'm very surprised FIFA haven't mentioned anything about it – the whole world saw the handball. This is a pure injustice. Everyone in France, the press and everyone, says there should be a replay". Former Ireland captain Roy Keane
said the attempt by the FAI to get a replay was "rubbish", telling them to "get over it", that France were there for the taking and Ireland should not have allowed Henry to be in such a good position in the first place. Keane later apologised to any Irish fans offended by his "over the top" comments.
Henry's former France teammate Bixente Lizarazu
stated "It was not something to be proud of. I'm not going to party." Henry's former Arsenal
and France teammate Emmanuel Petit
wrote that "The feeling among the French public on Thursday morning was one of embarrassment - we didn't want to qualify in controversial circumstances, we wanted to beat Ireland by playing within the rules" and "Thierry's handball will not send out a good message", but he was of the opinion that this "very rare indiscretion" would not damage his reputation, explaining that "There is a referee on the pitch and if he didn't see that's not France's problem." Petit later criticised FIFA and UEFA for their lack of support for Henry, and believed that Henry had saved Raymond Domenech's job. French player Patrice Evra
questioned the patriotism of those French people attacking Henry, and was of the opinion that those same people would have criticised Henry had he informed the referee he had committed handball. Former French captain Patrick Vieira
blamed the referee for the controversy, and supported the idea of video refereeing or having a fifth referee to assist in games. Former French international Eric Cantona
was critical of Domenech, and referring to Henry's immediate post-match act of consoling an Irish player, said "If I'd been Irish, he wouldn't have lasted three seconds."
Another former Arsenal teammate Lee Dixon
wrote that Henry had gone down in a lot of Arsenal fans' estimations, and Henry "has been a truly great footballer - one of the best players we've ever seen in the Premier League - but now people will remember him for that goal against Ireland. It's really sad". England footballer David Beckham
defended Henry, stating "I honestly didn't think Thierry meant it...I know him as a player and a person. He's a good person and a great player... these things happen in football"
Henry's former Arsenal manager and Frenchman Arsène Wenger
said of the incident that "This isn't the French way and football should learn from this", although he theorised that Henry did not inform the referee due to "the pressure and what's at stake". Wenger later added, "For the sense of justice it is quite embarrassing to see...I think even France is embarrassed...we won the game and won the qualification with a goal that was not a goal". Wenger believed Henry, who was one of the "fairest [players] I've managed", was being unfairly left to face criticism by France, and that the real issue was the lack of technology being in place. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson
was of the opinion that "every player and manager in the world" thinks that "technology can play a part" to help referees, but recognised that it was FIFA who had to be convinced. Henry's club manager of Barcelona, Josep Guardiola
said as Henry returned to training in Spain that he "is not proud to have done that, but it wasn't premeditated", and gave guarded support for use of video refereeing. German Robert Huth
expressed sympathy with the Irish, but on the merits of a replay, contrasted the lack of a replay after the controversial goal in the 1966 World Cup Final
. Danish goalkeeper Brian Jensen said "He didn't do it on purpose? Blah blah blah
. My 'beep'. I won't say the word cheats – but ... I said it".
Thierry Roland, described by the Times
as the "doyen
of French TV football commentators", said of the game "It's a scandal, a shame with a capital S."
, the game "attracted mass news coverage across Europe". Agence France-Presse
(AFP) described how the result of the game sparked an "international outcry" and how as a result of the handball, Henry had been "pilloried as a cheat around the globe". TIME magazine
immediately named Henry as number 1 in a List of Sporting Cheats, ahead of Crashgate
(listed as number 2), Black Sox Scandal
,
Ben Johnson, Tonya Harding
, Doping in East Germany
, Rivaldo at the 2002 World Cup, Boris Onishchenko
, Basketboo, Hansie Cronje
and the original Hand of God goal (listed as number 11).
Sky Sports
estimated qualification for the 2010 World Cup was worth £26.7m to Irish football, and was worth a similar amount to the French. FAI chief executive John Delaney
denied the issue was about money, rather a matter of "fair play and integrity". The 2010 tournament prize money was later confirmed by FIFA as being $9m for participating, a further $9m for exiting the group stage, with potential prize totals rising to $30m for the eventual winners.
Spanish media, where Henry had played his club football since leaving England in 2007, took great interest in the event. The Spanish daily sports newspaper Diario Marca carried the headline "Football rails against 'cheating' Henry".
French newspaper L'Équipe
greeted the incident with the headline 'Hand of God', while Le Parisien
had "Henry Saves France With His Hand.", and Le Figaro
led with "Henry: 'I Am Not the Referee'." L'Equipe also wrote, "France have qualified for the 2010 World Cup, that's for sure, but the result, the most essential thing in sport after all, is not enough to erase the uneasy feeling we had last night". Le Parisien
also wrote "The handball of Henry has brought a decisive contribution to the theme 'being French is being ashamed of one's national team'". Le Monde
noted the lack of any calls for a replay following the controversial penalty for handball that went in Ireland's favour, during their previous Group 8
qualifying game against Georgia
on 11 February 2009. Australia's Daily Telegraph
said Henry would "earn a place in infamy as one of the biggest cheats in world sport".
Swedish newspapers advocated that the Swedish referee used for the match Martin Hansson
be removed from further major international assignments. Aftonbladet
declared of the officials "that Team Hansson has also forfeited its right to continue to take charge of major international matches. Anything else would be a further insult to the Irish nation". Mark Ogden of The Telegraph
criticised Henry for not informing referee Hansson during the game, and speculated the incident would 'ruin his career', comparing the cases of referees Anders Frisk
and Tom Henning Øvrebø
.
In Britain, where Henry had spent much of his club career, The Sun
s headline was "Le Hand of God: Cheat Theirry Does A Maradona.", while The Daily Mirror
was "French Nickers.", with The Independent
using "Hand Gaul!". The Los Angeles Times
speculated the incident had the potential to ruin his reputation with a moment of "eternal notoriety". The Guardian's chief sportswriter Richard Williams
wrote that the incident was worse than Maradona's foul, describing his handball as "a street kid's instinct", while Henry's was "a sophisticated man, and a much-decorated one." Williams also critiqued Henry's decision not to inform the referee, citing previous club football examples of players not taking advantage of a referee's mistake: Robbie Fowler
in 1997 unsuccessfully pleading for the referee not to give a penalty in his favour, Paolo Di Canio
in 2000 catching the ball rather than scoring past an incapacitated goalkeeper, and Costin Lazăr
in 2009 successfully insisting he would not take the penalty awarded to him for what he saw as a fair challenge. Henri Astier wrote for BBC News
that the reaction in France, a "nation not particularly known for its moral qualms", had ranged from "embarrassment to outrage". Dominic Lawson
wrote in The Sunday Times that "[Ireland] has taken on the role of unjustly oppressed victim – something the Irish do well, having had several centuries of practice".
Patrick Barclay
, Chief Football Correspondent for The Times
, declared that the Henry incident "ended the argument" over the issue of video refereeing. The Times
also speculated that the incident might lead to a fast-tracked global deployment of the Additional Assistant Referee
(AAR) system already under trial by FIFA, pointing out that under the trial configuration, the extra goal-line assistant would have been standing directly in front of Henry as he touched the ball with his hand. FIFA confirmed the AAR plan was to be discussed at the March 2010 International Football Association Board
meeting. On the issue of football introducing AAR's, the Wall Street Journal compared and contrasted the demands on referees in the World Cup compared to those in National Football League
, National Hockey League
and boxing
, and relayed the negative experience of U.S. Soccer
a decade previously, who took part in an international trial using two referees, one in each half, which 'led to poor game management'. The Times also questioned Henry's record on fair play, recalling his comments and actions during controversial incidents in a 2001/2 Champions League game against Panathinaikos, in the 2001 FA Cup Final, in the 2006 World Cup
games against Spain and Portugal, in the 2006 Champions League Final
and 2006/7 Champions League game against CSKA Moscow. Tim Rich of The Independent urged for video refereeing, asserting that the Europa League trial of AAR's had "not been an unqualified success", citing a failure of intervention by the goal line official in a game between Fulham
, in which the players had to intervene themselves to ensure the main referee, Belgian Paul Allaerts
, identified the correct man to send off after a foul on Roma
player John Arne Riise
, after mistakenly identifying the offender as Brede Hangeland
. The player sent off was Stephen Kelly, ironically an unused Irish substitute in the controversial France game.
Jonathan Clegg debated in the Wall Street Journal the effect of the incident on Henry's lucrative sponsorship deals, comparing it to incidents such as ING Group
's withdrawal from the Renault F1
after the Crashgate controversy
, the retention of sponsors by Harlequin F.C.
after their 'Bloodgate' fake injury scandal, and the enhanced fortunes of Zinedine Zidane
in spite of his head-butting of Marco Materazzi
in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final
. Gillette, who Henry represents in advertisements, were threatened with a boycott and an email campaign. A brand spokesman said that it would not affect their relationship with Henry. Susie Mesure of The Independent
later speculated that there was now a 'Curse of Gillette' befalling its three major sporting representatives, with the Henry controversy being followed in quick succession by Tiger Wood's car accident on 27 November, and a rare defeat of Roger Federer
by Nikolay Davydenko
in the 2009 ATP Tour
on 28 November. A Gillette spokesperson had earlier denied allegations made by The Sun
that a version of the Gillette Champions poster showing the three men with a tennis racket, golf club and football, had been doctored to remove a ball from Henry's hand in the French version of their website.
American radio host Jim Rome
commented: "I'm glad the guy did it; it led to a goal...How 'bout that guy. The guy was just trying to make a play. I thought it was smart; I liked it. It lead to a goal; what's not to like?"
Speaking on Football Focus
on 21 November, Philippe Auclair of France Football
magazine said that, unlike Eric Cantona
's "moment of madness", he could not see Thierry Henry earning a similar redemption in England for this "calculated moment of cheating".
On 22 November, the Irish Independent
claimed that the FFF had been willing to stage a replay and that FIFA would not have prevented it, but the offer had been blocked by the French manager Raymond Domenech
.
A Wall Street Journal editorial supported FIFA's decision not to replay the match and distinguished the refereeing error from the one in the replayed Uzbekistan-Bahrain match.
Henry Winter
of The Telegraph wrote that FIFA had "gained some credibility" by deciding to investigate Henry after the EGM, whose presence at the World Cup would otherwise overshadow the Fair Play campaign, and that the Henry controversy made the case for having a panel of experts examine every major game after the event for infractions missed by the referee. Winter contrasted any possible punishment of Henry with the two month ban issued to Diego Maradona
for simply 'insulting reporters'. Diana Worman on Aljazeera.net criticised FIFA's decision to investigate Henry for an act that happens all the time, and would have only warranted a yellow card, writing "Henry should never have been expected to make a 'sportsmanlike' decision after the goal and it's unfair for Fifa to make an example of him". The Canadian Press criticised FIFA's "cowardly" decision to investigate Henry and do nothing to change the situation for the 2010 World Cup. The Irish Times stated that the FAI's recommendations to FIFA in the wake of the controversy had been "effectively disregarded" at the EGM.
After the announcement that Henry would face no sanctions, Simon Rice of The Independent
declared Henry had "got away with it", and compared his lack of punishment to nine other notable sporting incidents: Michael Schumacher
(1994 Australian Grand Prix
), Sir Alex Ferguson
(against the Football Association generally), Graeme Smith
(4th test, South Africa v England, 2010
), Eduardo
(diving against Celtic, 26 August 2009
), Toni Schumacher
(1982 World Cup
semi-final), Trevor Chappell
(the 1981 Underarm bowling incident
), Andy Haden
(Wales v New Zealand, 1978), Diego Maradona
(1986 Hand of God goal) and Fred Lorz
(1904 Olympics Mens Marathon). After the announcement, Agence France-Presse
speculated that any discipliniary action for Henry would have presented an "unwelcome precedent" for FIFA, and any punishment would have been merely symbolic, given the lack of prior cases of such retrospective player sanctions.
FIFA's subsequent decision to select referee Hansson as one of the 2010 World Cup officials was criticised by the Irish media, as well as UEFA president Michel Platini
's comments that it would have been "great" if France and the Republic of Ireland had been drawn together for the 2012 European Championships.
Stadium to the French embassy on Ailesbury Road
in Dublin, to demand a replay. The protesters were described as 'light hearted' and drawn from all age groups. An online poll run by French newspaper Le Monde
revealed 88% of the 97,000 respondents said "no" to the question "Does France deserve to be in South Africa?". A Facebook
petition demanding a replay was signed by over 500,000. The petition was to be handed to FIFA once it passed half a million signatories. The French teachers' union SNEP-FSU condemned Henry's irresponsible example of "indisputable cheating". Henry's official Twitter
page was reportedly suspended due to "strange activity". When the World Cup pool games began Pizza Hut Delivery Ireland began a promotion offering a free pizza to every goal scored against France.
The Mighty Stef wrote "Protest Song with No Name", which ends with the lyrics "you might cheat us, you might beat us, but you'll never lay a hand on our soul". The Corrigan Brothers
wrote "The Hand of Henry", which includes the line "Sepp Blatter was happy". French company Le Coq Sportif
were parodied over the incident, with an agency printing T-Shirts with the words Le Coq un-Sportif. Irish bookmakers Paddy Power
launched a two week advertising campaign in the baggage claim
area of Dublin Airport
poking fun at Henry, with posters stating "Paddy Power welcomes you to Ireland... unless you're called Thierry". Cleaners in Ireland also reportedly vandalised the unrelated Henry brand of vacuum cleaner
. Irish rockstar Bono
called on FIFA to do the noble thing, not act bureaucratically, and grant Ireland's request to be added to the World Cup as a 33rd entrant.
French philosopher Alain Finkielkraut
said on Europe 1
radio that "We are faced with a real matter of conscience...We certainly have nothing to be proud of." British author Roger Scruton
said "one of the major justifications of sport in all its forms is that it teaches the virtues of fair play...Victory achieved by cheating leaves a foul taste in the mouth...and makes the whole thing as pointless to [the defeated team and its supporters] as it is to someone like me who has never quite experienced the allure of the game". The founder of the British Philosophy of Sport Association called for "restorative justice", and said that players had an obligation to honesty that "over-rides their self-serving commitments". French economist Jacques Attali
wrote "Nous sommes tous Irlandais", in reference to the Le Monde headline "Nous sommes tous Americains" (We are all Americans) in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
Bookmakers William Hill
stated they would refund any bets placed backing Ireland to qualify, to be "as fair as possible to everyone."
Thierry Henry was "booed relentlessly" by fans of Athletic Bilbao
in his first competitive match after playing Ireland.
On December 4, 2009, Charlize Theron
co-presented the draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
in Cape Town
, South Africa, accompanied by several other celebrities of South African origin. During rehearsals she drew an Ireland
ball instead of France
as a joke at the expense of FIFA, referring to the Thierry Henry
handball controversy and France's controversial qualification. The stunt alarmed FIFA enough for it to fear she might do it again in front of a live global audience.
Irish fans donned sombrero
s and cheered as Mexico
beat France 2-0 in the finals on 17 June 2010.
between Louth
and Meath
held at Croke Park on 11 July 2010 drew comparisons with Thierry Henry's cheating due to its controversial ending in which Louth were wrongfully defeated by a last minute Meath goal which was thrown into the net and therefore should not have stood. Louth were in the lead at the time and would have won their first Leinster Senior Football Championship in 53 years if Meath had not been given the goal. Louth fans burst onto the pitch as the final whistle blew, chasing and physically assaulting the referee around the field, while a steward was knocked unconscious with a bottle during ugly scenes played out on live television. The referee was struck on at least three different points as he scrambled away from the baying mob. Meath chairman Barney Allen compared calls for the game to be replayed with Henry's moment of shame, saying "Ireland didn't get a replay when France got a lucky goal". As the controversy continuted to erupt, RTÉ analyst Pat Spillane
called it a "disgrace". Setanta Sports
said the "goal" would "now go down in infamy as the GAA's Thierry Henry incident".
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
play-off, dubbed by the media as the Hand of Frog affair, was a controversial association football game played on 18 November 2009 in the Stade de France
Stade de France
The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...
outside Paris between the national teams of France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
and the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
. It was the second leg of a two leg play-off in the UEFA Second Round
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Second Round
The UEFA second round was contested by the best eight runners-up from the nine first round groups from the UEFA segment of the qualification tournament for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in football. The winners of each of four home and away ties joined the group winners in the World Cup in South Africa...
of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
to be held in South Africa. The game finished in a draw, but as France had won the first leg at Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
it meant that they progressed to the finals at the expense of Ireland. After the game, the French captain Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
admitted to Irish defender Richard Dunne
Richard Dunne
Richard Patrick Dunne is an Irish footballer who plays as a defender for Aston Villa and the Republic of Ireland national football team. With Ireland he was a member of the 2002 FIFA World Cup squad and helped his team qualify for UEFA Euro 2012.Dunne began his professional career at Everton...
that he had illegally handled the ball in the build-up to the scoring of the match-winning goal, scored by William Gallas
William Gallas
William Eric Gallas is a French footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur.Gallas began his career in France, before being signed by English club Chelsea in 2001. He transferred to rivals Arsenal as part of an exchange deal in 2006...
in extra time with 17 minutes remaining in the game.
The incident led to calls from the Football Association of Ireland
Football Association of Ireland
The Football Association of Ireland is the governing body for the sport of association football in the Republic of Ireland. It should not to be confused with the Irish Football Association , which is the organising body for the sport in Northern Ireland.For the full history, statistics and records...
(FAI) and the Government of Ireland to the world governing body FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
for the result to be set aside and for the game to be replayed, which were rejected two days later. The FAI then requested to be allowed to enter the World Cup as an unprecedented 33rd entrant. Henry, previously seen by many in the sport as a fair footballer, was characterised as cheating, with the incident being compared to Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
's infamous "Hand of God" goal, and TIME magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
comparing Henry's performance to a top ten list of sporting cheats. Henry considered retiring from international football due to the reactions to the game, while the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
match referee Martin Hansson
Martin Hansson
Martin Hansson is a Swedish football referee. Hansson currently resides in Holmsjö. He has been a full international referee for FIFA since 2001....
considered quitting as a referee.
The result sparked debate on the issue of fair play in football, actively supported by FIFA through the Fair Play Award
FIFA Fair Play Award
The FIFA Fair Play Award is a FIFA recognition of good or sporting behaviour or other actions by people or bodies involved in :association football around the world. First awarded in 1987, it has been presented to individuals , teams, fans, spectators, football associations/federations and even...
and Fair Play Trophy. The game also saw a continuation of the debate on the introduction of video refereeing into football, which is opposed by FIFA, and put further emphasis on the proposed introduction of Additional Assistant Referees (AARs) under trial in the Europa League. At an emergency meeting of the FIFA Executive Committee called in part as a result of the handball controversy, FIFA announced it was setting up an inquiry into the options for technology of extra officials in football, but ruled out any changes being introduced in time for the 2010 World Cup. Henry's case was passed to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for investigation, which ruled that it could not sanction Henry under the text of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.
France and the Republic of Ireland and the FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious national men's team football competition, and in the Finals phase contested during June and July. 32 qualifying teams compete for the right to be named World Champions for the next four years, lifting the FIFA World Cup TrophyFIFA World Cup Trophy
The World Cup is a gold trophy that is awarded to the winners of the FIFA World Cup. Since the advent of the World Cup in 1930, two trophies have represented victory: the Jules Rimet Trophy from 1930 to 1970, and the FIFA World Cup Trophy from 1974 to the present day.The trophy, originally named...
. According to FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
, the organisers of the competition and the worldwide governing body of football, the 2006 final
2006 FIFA World Cup Final
The 2006 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match that took place on 9 July 2006 at the Olympiastadion, Berlin to determine the winner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Italy beat France on penalties after the match finished 1–1 after extra time...
was watched by an estimated audience of 715.1 million people globally.
Over the years, the format for the qualification phase has varied. Before 1990, the Republic of Ireland had never qualified for the Finals tournament, while France's best record was two third place finishes, in 1958
1958 FIFA World Cup
The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European...
and 1986
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
. Since 1990, the record of the two nations is as follows:
| Finals | Host country(s) | France | Republic of Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualification | Finals | Qualification | Finals | ||
| 1990 1990 FIFA World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated... |
Italy | Did not qualify - third place in Group 5 | n/a | As one of two best second place finishers (in Group 6) | Quarter-finals |
| 1994 1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988... |
United States | Did not qualify - third place in Group 6 | n/a | Automatic as Group 3 runners up | Round 2 (the Round of 16) |
| 1998 1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final... |
France | Automatic as hosts | Champions 1998 FIFA World Cup Final The 1998 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match that was played on 12 July 1998 at the Stade de France in St-Denis to determine the winner of the 1998 FIFA World Cup a global football tournament held every four years... |
Did not qualify - As runners-up in Group 8, advanced to a Second Round play-off against Belgium, but lost | n/a |
| 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
South Korea South Korea The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south... & Japan |
Automatic as defending champions | Round 1 (the Group stage 2002 FIFA World Cup - Group A Group A of the 2002 FIFA World Cup began on 31 May 2002, and concluded on 11 June 2002. The group contained 1998 winners, France, two-time winners Uruguay, Denmark and FIFA World Cup debutants Senegal.... ) |
Advanced as Group 2 runners up, and qualified by defeating Iran Iran national football team The national football team of Iran represents Iran in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran... in an UEFA / AFC Intercontinental Play-off |
Round 2 (the Round of 16) |
| 2006 2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six... |
Germany | As winners of UEFA First Round Group 4 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 4 The 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 4 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised Cyprus, Faroe Islands, France, Republic of Ireland, Israel and Switzerland.... |
Losing finalists 2006 FIFA World Cup Final The 2006 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match that took place on 9 July 2006 at the Olympiastadion, Berlin to determine the winner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Italy beat France on penalties after the match finished 1–1 after extra time... |
Did not qualify - fourth place in Group 4 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 4 The 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 4 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised Cyprus, Faroe Islands, France, Republic of Ireland, Israel and Switzerland.... |
n/a |
South Africa 2010 qualification
The Finals phase of the 2010 edition of the World Cup takes place over June and July 2010 in ten stadiums across South Africa. The qualification process for South Africa2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament...
began in 2007, and as European (UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
) affiliated teams, France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
and the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
began this process in the European qualification phase
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The European zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, after UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of...
, where 53 teams competed for 13 spots in the Finals.
Under the rules for the 2010 tournament, UEFA qualification was again a two stage process, with teams first able to qualify automatically by being the winner of one of 9 qualifying groups (the First Round), with a second chance to qualify for eight of the nine second place finishers, via a knock-out phase (the Second Round) of four games between eight second placed teams, contested over two legs, home and away, vying for four final UEFA qualifying places. Both France and the Republic failed to qualify as winners of their First Round Group (France in Group 7
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 7
The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 7 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised France, Romania, Serbia, Lithuania, Austria and Faroe Islands....
, the Republic in Group 8
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 8
The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 8 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised 2006 FIFA World Cup winner Italy, Bulgaria, Republic of Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia and Montenegro....
), but both teams finished in second place with enough points to allow them to advance to the UEFA Second Round knock-out stage
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Second Round
The UEFA second round was contested by the best eight runners-up from the nine first round groups from the UEFA segment of the qualification tournament for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in football. The winners of each of four home and away ties joined the group winners in the World Cup in South Africa...
.
The draw for the European World Cup play-offs was held in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
on 19 October 2009. FIFA announced on 29 September 2009 that it would introduce a seeding system. Many of the second seeded teams felt cheated by FIFA. The eight teams in the draw were divided into two pots of four; France were seeded along with Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
, Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
and Russia
Russia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
, while Ireland were unseeded, alongside Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
, Slovenia
Slovenia national football team
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....
and Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
. Ireland were drawn to play France, with the first of their two games to be played in Ireland on 14 November 2009. The way the seeding process was handled led some to claim at the time that UEFA had changed the rules half-way through to favour to the higher profile teams like France and Portugal, preferring them to qualify over "smaller" nations.
The 18 November date of the second leg of the France vs Republic of Ireland play-off in Paris coincided with the date of other qualification matches around the world which marked the completion of the entire qualification process for 2010, and with their win, France ultimately joined Algeria
Algeria national football team
The Algeria national football team , nicknamed الأفنــاك, Les Fennecs , represents Algeria in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Algérienne de Football. Algeria's home ground is the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers and their head coach is Vahid Halilhodžić.Algeria has qualified...
, Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
, Slovenia
Slovenia national football team
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....
, Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
and Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
as the last of the 32 competitors in South Africa.
Summary
First legSecond leg
Tiebreak criteria
- The team scoring more goals on aggregate wins the play-off.
- If scores are level on aggregate, The team with the higher number of away goals advances
- If teams are level on away goals, 30 minutes of extra time is played.
- If the score is level after extra time (note that away goals are still used as a tiebreaker in the case of an aggregate tie), the match goes to penalties.
Handball incident
The handball incident occurred during extra time in the second leg of the two-legged tie, with the overall score standing at 1-1 on aggregate. French player Florent MaloudaFlorent Malouda
Florent Johan Malouda is a French footballer who plays as a left winger for Chelsea and the French national team.-Châteauroux:A street footballer in his teen years, Malouda gradually developed into an interesting, new football talent, able to penetrate defenses with his technical skills and...
took a free kick
Direct free kick
A direct free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football following a foul. Unlike an indirect free kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.-Award:...
just outside the centre circle in the Irish half. He lofted it toward French captain Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
, who was making a run in the penalty area
Penalty area
The penalty area , is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends to each side of the goal and in front of it. Within the penalty area is the penalty spot , which is from the goal line, directly in-line with the centre of the goal...
to Irish goalkeeper Shay Given
Shay Given
Séamus John James "Shay" Given is an Irish footballer who plays for Aston Villa and the Republic of Ireland national team as a goalkeeper. He won the PFA's Player of the Year in 2002....
's right hand side. The ball bounced once to Henry, now inside the goal area to the left of the goal. As it bounced upwards, Henry handled the ball twice with his left hand, stopping it going out of play and bringing the ball under control, before tapping the ball with the outside of his right foot past Given standing at the near goal post. The ball travelled the short distance to William Gallas
William Gallas
William Eric Gallas is a French footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur.Gallas began his career in France, before being signed by English club Chelsea in 2001. He transferred to rivals Arsenal as part of an exchange deal in 2006...
arriving in the middle of the goal, who headed
Header
Header may refer to: Computers and engineering* Header , supplemental data at the beginning of a data block** E-mail header** HTTP header* Header file, a text file used in computer programming...
the ball into the Irish net.
The referee immediately signalled the goal with Irish players inside the penalty box appealing by raising their arms, and as Henry wheeled away in celebration around the back of the Irish goal, Given ran to the referee gesticulating that a handball offence had occurred, while Irish manager Giovanni Trapattoni
Giovanni Trapattoni
Giovanni Trapattoni , sometimes known as "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian football coach and former player, considered the most successful club coach in the history of Serie A. As a player he was part of Italy's squad at the 1962 FIFA World Cup....
did the same to the fourth official.
The handball offence was not seen by the referee or his two assistants, according to the BBC. According to Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
, the match officials also missed two French players in an offside position during the same attack.
Thierry Henry
Henry told a reporter after the incident, "Yes, there was hand, but I'm not the referee. 'Toto' (Sébastien Squillaci) was going for the front, I was behind two Irishmen, the ball ricocheted and hit my hand. Of course, I continued to play... The referee did not whistle 'hand' but I can't say there wasn't hand." Henry later defended himself against criticism stating "Obviously I would have preferred that things panned out differently but I am not the official. I do not think we have stolen qualification".After FIFA denied the FAI request for a replay, Henry released a statement.
The fairest solution would be to replay the game but it is not in my control...Naturally I feel embarrassed at the way that we won and feel extremely sorry for the Irish who definitely deserve to be in South Africa...I have said at the time and I will say again that 'yes' I handled the ball. I am not a cheat and never have been. It was an instinctive reaction to a ball that was coming extremely fast in a crowded penalty area....As a footballer you do not have the luxury of the television to slow the pace of the ball down 100 times to be able to make a conscious decision...People are viewing a slow motion version of what happened and not what I or any other footballer faces in the game. If people look at it in full speed you will see that it was an instinctive reaction.
Henry said that he had considered quitting international football after the reactions to the incident, but was persuaded not to by friends and family. He criticised the FFF for their lack of support in the aftermath of the controversy. He regretted the immediate celebration of the goal but put it down to the emotion of the moment, and reflected that not informing the referee had been a mistake. On the issue of lasting impact of the incident, Henry said "I don't think that all I have achieved in my career up until now will be bespoiled by this".
Henry later called FIFA President Sepp Blatter
Sepp Blatter
Joseph S. Blatter , commonly known as Sepp Blatter, is a Swiss football administrator, who serves as the 8th and current President of FIFA . He was elected on 8 June 1998, succeeding João Havelange. He was re-elected as President in 2002, 2007, and 2011...
over the incident. Blatter stated Henry had told him his family had been threatened over the incident by fans.
Match referee
The match was officiated by a SwedishSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
team, Martin Hansson
Martin Hansson
Martin Hansson is a Swedish football referee. Hansson currently resides in Holmsjö. He has been a full international referee for FIFA since 2001....
was the match referee, assisted by his two assistant referees
Assistant referee (association football)
In association football, an assistant referee is one of several officials who assist the referee in controlling a match. Two officials, traditionally known as linesmen , stand on the touchlines, while a fourth official assists administrative or other match related tasks as directed by the referee...
, Fredrik Nilsson and Stefan Wittberg.
Referee Hansson told Sveriges Radio
Sveriges Radio
Sveriges Radio AB – Swedish Radio Ltd – is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. The Swedish public-broadcasting system is in many respects modelled after the one used in the United Kingdom, and Sveriges Radio - like Sveriges Television - shares many characteristics with...
Blekinge
Blekinge
' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , situated in the south of the country. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea.The name "Blekinge" comes from the adjective bleke, which corresponds to the nautical term for "dead calm"....
"I cannot comment on the game itself but life must go on. I will ride this storm as well". In his first substantial comment on the incident, Hansson spoke to the regional Swedish newpspaper Sydöstran on 24 November. While repeating the fact that FIFA rules prevented him commenting on the game until the investigation concluded, he said the incident was neither his or his referee team's fault. Referring to a graphic illustration printed earlier in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and reproduced in some Swedish newspapers, he said "[the graphic] clears the whole refereeing team in this incident". The picture, titled 'Why the referee missed it', purported to show how neither the referee or the assistant referee could have seen the handball incident, due to the presence of three Irish players blocking Hansson's view from his position on the edge of the penalty area
Penalty area
The penalty area , is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends to each side of the goal and in front of it. Within the penalty area is the penalty spot , which is from the goal line, directly in-line with the centre of the goal...
, and Irish goalkeeper Shay Given
Shay Given
Séamus John James "Shay" Given is an Irish footballer who plays for Aston Villa and the Republic of Ireland national team as a goalkeeper. He won the PFA's Player of the Year in 2002....
's position obscuring the sightline of the assistant referee
Assistant referee (association football)
In association football, an assistant referee is one of several officials who assist the referee in controlling a match. Two officials, traditionally known as linesmen , stand on the touchlines, while a fourth official assists administrative or other match related tasks as directed by the referee...
, Nilsson, who was standing on the right hand touchline. He also stated that the reaction to the game had made him consider quitting his job as a referee. On June 21, during the World Cup finals, Hansson said, "After the game, we were sitting in the dressing room and I cried. I realized what a mistake it was."
Team managers
Ireland manager Giovanni TrapattoniGiovanni Trapattoni
Giovanni Trapattoni , sometimes known as "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian football coach and former player, considered the most successful club coach in the history of Serie A. As a player he was part of Italy's squad at the 1962 FIFA World Cup....
stated he did not blame Henry, nor did he expect a replay would occur, but he did believe the incident would bring further pressure on FIFA to introduce goal-line technology
Goal-line technology
In association football, goal-line technology is a proposed technology currently in testing stages, which determines when the ball has completely crossed goal line, assisting the referee in calling a goal or not. So far FIFA, footballs governing body, has resisted goal-line technology as well as...
, stating "There is a 30-second stop and we clarify the situation...I'm sure in the future they will have to do something about it. It wasn't up to Henry to say 'I touched it with my hand". Trapattoni also questioned the selection of the match referee, stating "For this important game we needed a stronger referee - an important referee", and went on to also question the format of the qualifying round matches.
French team manager Raymond Domenech
Raymond Domenech
Raymond Domenech is a retired French footballer and the former manager of the France national team.-2006 World Cup:On 12 July 2004, Domenech was a surprise choice to succeed Jacques Santini after the country's disappointing exit from UEFA Euro 2004 by losing in the quarter-final match to the...
said of the game, "I don't see what we could have done better...We needed to qualify and we did that, even if it was painful. Victories like this one, at the end of a difficult campaign, give this side heart and soul", although criticism in France of his team, which had existed before the game, continued. Domenech later criticised the condemnation of Henry and France, and questioned the right of former French players like Cantona and Lizarazu to criticise his record as the French coach.
Other players
Ireland captain and scorer of Ireland's goal in the controversial match Robbie KeaneRobbie Keane
Robert David "Robbie" Keane is an Irish association football player who plays as a striker for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer and captains the Irish national football team....
hit out at the presidents of FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
and UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
following Ireland's World Cup exit, claiming they would be 'delighted' that France had gone through thanks to a hugely controversial winning goal. He told BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
, "They're all probably clapping hands, Platini sitting up there on the phone to Sepp Blatter, probably texting each other, delighted with the result." After Henry's statement, Keane concurred with his call for a replay in the interest of fair play, stating "On behalf of the Republic of Ireland players, I would like to thank Thierry Henry...As captain of the French team, to make such a statement took courage and honour, and all of us recognise that".
In general, the Irish players blamed the officials rather than Henry. Damien Duff admitted he would have done the same had it been to Ireland's advantage, and said: "If it was down the other end and it was going out of play, I would have chanced my arm. You can't blame him (Henry). He's a clever player - but you expect the ref to see it, it was so blatant." Many players, including Duff, supported call for the introduction of video technology. Seán St Ledger
Sean St Ledger
Sean Patrick St Ledger-Hall is an English-born Irish footballer who plays as a central defender for Leicester City and the Republic of Ireland national football team...
hoped France would be put in a 'group of death
Group of death
A group of death in a multi-stage tournament is a group which is unusually competitive, because the number of strong competitors in the group is greater than the number of qualifying places available for the next phase of the tournament...
' in the World Cup draw, but feared they might go on to win the tournament.
Defender Richard Dunne
Richard Dunne
Richard Patrick Dunne is an Irish footballer who plays as a defender for Aston Villa and the Republic of Ireland national football team. With Ireland he was a member of the 2002 FIFA World Cup squad and helped his team qualify for UEFA Euro 2012.Dunne began his professional career at Everton...
later spoke of how he was unaware of the extent of Henry's involvement when he sat down with him on the pitch at the end of the match and admitted the handball. Dunne properly viewed the incident for the first time on a computer in his team's dressing room. He also described how "heartbreaking" the whole experience was, his lack of interest in the draw or who France's opponents might be in the finals and how "disappointing" it would be when the tournament eventually took place.
Given was critical of Sepp Blatter's later actions, stating his various announcements "rubbed salt in the wounds" and his contradictory comments about Henry were "beyond a joke". He expressed doubt he would get over the incident in his lifetime. Of Henry, he said "I'm not saying he's a cheat but what he's done is illegal".
Dunne was later critical of Blatter's offer of moral compensation, describing it as "taking the mickey". He doubted Robbie Keane would be going to FIFA to collect any such award. He reiterated the belief that ever since the earlier seedings controversy, FIFA had been showing France unfair favour.
FAI appeal
The Football Association of IrelandFootball Association of Ireland
The Football Association of Ireland is the governing body for the sport of association football in the Republic of Ireland. It should not to be confused with the Irish Football Association , which is the organising body for the sport in Northern Ireland.For the full history, statistics and records...
(FAI) filed a formal complaint with FIFA and the French Football Federation
French Football Federation
The French Football Federation is the governing body of association football in France, as well as the overseas departments and territories . It was formed in 1919 and is based in the capital Paris...
(FFF), and stated "The handball was recognised by the FIFA commissioner, the referee observer and the match officials, as well as by the player himself." The FAI cited precedent for the invalidation of the result, using the example of a previous World Cup qualification match between Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan national football team
The Uzbekistan national football team represents Uzbekistan in association football and is controlled by the Uzbekistan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Uzbekistan...
and Bahrain
Bahrain national football team
The Bahrain national football team is the national team of the Kingdom of Bahrain and is controlled by the Bahrain Football Association; it was founded in 1951 and joined FIFA in 1966. They have never reached the finals of the World Cup, but have twice come within one match of doing so...
, overturned by FIFA due to a 'technical error by the referee of the match'. In that game, the referee had failed to have a penalty kick re-taken after an attacker encroached on the penalty area. FAI chief executive John Delaney
John Delaney (football administrator)
John Delaney is the current chief executive of the Football Association of Ireland .His father Joe was previously FAI treasurer. Delaney became acting chief executive of the FAI in December 2004 and took up the role full-time in March 2005. In November 2006, his contract was extended to 2012...
said "It is up to the people who govern the game now, if they really believe in the principles of fair play then step forward....If we had qualified in this manner, I wouldn't be happy" The president of the (FFF) Jean-Pierre Escalettes said "You have to take a philosophical approach to this match."
On 20 November, FIFA rejected the request for a replay, stating to the FAI:
The result of the match cannot be changed and the match cannot be replayed. As is clearly mentioned in the Laws of the Game, during matches, decisions are taken by the referee and these decisions are final
After FIFA and Thierry Henry's statement, the FAI urged the FFF to respect their views and those of the captains of both teams, to replay the game to "protect the integrity of the game worldwide". The FFF, while sympathetic, endorsed the FIFA ruling.
Following the FFF's refusal to support a replay, the FAI expressed "deep disappointment".
FAI proposals and 33rd team place
At the request of the FAI, Sepp Blatter met an Irish delegation in ZürichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
for 90 minutes on Friday 27 November. The FAI proposed a number of ways the incident could be prevented in future, and agreeing that the match could not be replayed, they instead also officially requested to be allowed to enter the World Cup as an unprecedented extra 33rd entrant. Blatter stated he would raise the Irish request at the FIFA EGM. RTÉ Sport
RTÉ Sport
RTÉ Sport is a cross platform, integrated business division of Irish broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann, responsible for the provision of sport coverage on RTÉ Radio, RTÉ Television, and RTÉ.ie....
speculated that the request would be "politely turned down". The request drew 'laughter' when he relayed it to the Soccerex conference the following Monday. Blatter was of the opinion that if the Republic of Ireland were admitted as an extra entrant, Costa Rica
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
would also have to be considered as well, having also been unfairly eliminated by an offside goal in a play-off against Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
in the CONCACAF v CONMEBOL play-off. FIFA Secretary general Jerome Valcke however ruled it out on 1 December, one day before the meeting, clarifying that Blatter's comments regarding other teams had already shown the request was "impossible" and had "no hope" of being granted. According to The Guardian on 30 November, the Irish had not expected the request to be successful, but they had also 'asked FIFA to consider compensating them in some other way, perhaps by seeding them in the draw for the 2014 World Cup
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014....
'.
The FAI's proposals included: no changes to competition formats mid-tournament (referring to the play off group seeding change), introduce video technology at the highest level, implement AAR's for all international matches, introduce stronger sanctions for players who breach the laws of the game in a "match defining way", and issuing a statement that "FIFA does not condone breaches" of those Laws, referring to Sepp Blatter's previous statements of empathy with Henry. The FAI stated they did not ask for any action to be taken against Henry.
Delaney reacted angrily to Blatter's revelation of what was meant to have been agreed as a confidential submission, complaining to the FIFA General Secretary, calling it "disrespectful to our country", and stating the 33rd team proposal had been "very much peripheral" to their suggestions, and was only discussed "for a minute or two" in the meeting. The FAI asserted that the 33rd place request had not even been included in any of the written submissions to FIFA.
Blatter apologised to the FAI on 2 December for the fact and the media perception of his comments at Soccerex regarding their request for entry as a 33rd team, and said "I have nothing against the Irish, they were very sporting people when they came to FIFA and it is a pity that it has been now communicated in this way." After the EGM, John Delaney described FIFA as the "biggest losers" in the controversy for having "made one mistake after another", referring to the changing of the play-off group seeding rules mid-competition, FIFA's actions and the overall effect of the imagery of Henry's goal on the world game, and Sepp Blatter's subsequent dealings with the FAI.
Sepp Blatter
FIFA President Sepp BlatterSepp Blatter
Joseph S. Blatter , commonly known as Sepp Blatter, is a Swiss football administrator, who serves as the 8th and current President of FIFA . He was elected on 8 June 1998, succeeding João Havelange. He was re-elected as President in 2002, 2007, and 2011...
had initially faced criticism for refusing to comment on the incident. His first comments came with a report in L'Équipe
L'Équipe
L'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
, and during his opening address at the Soccerex football conference in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, both on Sunday 29 November.
Blatter said that telling the referee was not Henry's responsibility, comparing a similar incident in his own playing career, when he did not tell the referee about an advantage gained by shirt-pulling. Blatter said that referee Hansson "should have taken the time to reflect rather than immediately awarding the goal".
On the issue of fair play, Blatter said "There is a lack of discipline and respect in the game by the players because they are cheating" and "How can it happen that all over the world, through TV cameras, we have seen through a cheating handball that a pass was given for a goal? Everyone is asking what is and what isn't fair play. The highest crime in football is touching the ball with the hands". Referring to the possibility of using AAR's or goal line technology, Blatter stated "match control is now is on the agenda. How shall we avoid such situations as we have seen in this very specific match?" Blatter repeated his stated opposition to video refereeing, saying "With technology, you have to stop a match. You have a look at cameras... We have to maintain the human face of football and not go into technology".
On the issue of fair play at the World Cup, after the EGM Blatter said:
I appeal to all the players and coaches to observe this fair play. In 2010 we want to prove that football is more than just kicking a ball but has social and cultural value... So we ask the players 'please observe fair play' so they will be an example to the rest of the world
FIFA executive
On 23 November FIFA announced that the FIFA Executive Committee would hold an extraordinary general meetingExtraordinary General Meeting
An extraordinary general meeting, commonly abbreviated as EGM, is a meeting of members of an organisation, shareholders of a company, or employees of an official body, which occurs at an irregular time. The term is usually used where the group would ordinarily hold an annual general meeting , but...
on 2 December in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, where members were already due to meet to discuss the seedings for the World Cup, to discuss various recent incidents affecting the world game. According to BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
sports news correspondent Gordon Farquhar, the Henry incident would be "high on the agenda". Gordon Smith, the SFA
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
chief executive and IFAB board member, believed that introduction of AAR's in time for the World Cup would be pressed for at the EGM by long time supporter and UEFA President Michel Platini
Michel Platini
Michel François Platini is a former French football player, manager and current president of UEFA. Platini was a member of the French national team that won the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was the top goalscorer and voted the best player. He participated in the 1978, 1982...
, and Smith said of the proposal "I feel that it has its advantages at the highest levels of the games. When there's massive TV coverage the problems are highlighted all over the world so this is something we may have to look at". The FAI would be given the chance to present their views at the EGM, with Delaney hoping it would not be a "token" gesture, criticising the lack of direct contact from FIFA. FIFA President Sepp Blatter
Sepp Blatter
Joseph S. Blatter , commonly known as Sepp Blatter, is a Swiss football administrator, who serves as the 8th and current President of FIFA . He was elected on 8 June 1998, succeeding João Havelange. He was re-elected as President in 2002, 2007, and 2011...
confirmed on 30 November that the EGM would consider the use of AAR's and goal line technology in the 2010 World Cup, and changing the 2-leg play off qualification format, possibly in favour of a single game played at a neutral venue.
The FIFA Extraordinary General Meeting was held on 2 December at the International Conference Center
Cape Town International Convention Centre
The Cape Town International Convention Centre is a convention centre in Cape Town, South Africa. The centre opened in June 2003. It hosted the Final Draw of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa...
in Cape Town The Executive Committee consists of FIFA President Sepp Blatter
Sepp Blatter
Joseph S. Blatter , commonly known as Sepp Blatter, is a Swiss football administrator, who serves as the 8th and current President of FIFA . He was elected on 8 June 1998, succeeding João Havelange. He was re-elected as President in 2002, 2007, and 2011...
, eight vice-presidents and 15 members, and the General Secretary Jérôme Valcke, and contains representatives of the confederations and associations around the world. In response to Blatter's comments at Soccerex and before the EMG, the FAI formally notified FIFA in writing that they were withdrawing their 33rd place request, and accordingly it was not considered. The FAI's other suggestions were however considered.
According to FIFA, the EGM discussion resulted in "concrete proposals" to ensure improvements were made on the issues raised. According to Blatter, the committee recognised the game was at a "crossroads" and that at the highest levels, where 32 cameras will observe the 2010 World Cup, it was now "impossible" for just the referee and his two assistants to "see everything".
The EGM announced that FIFA would be setting up an inquiry into future use of extra assistants and technology. The new inquiry would, according to Blatter, "have a look at technology or additional persons". Described as a "full inquiry" or "working party" by media commentators, it was to comprise a new FIFA committee with input drawn in part from the existing Referees, Football, Technical and Medical Committees.
The expected introduction of AAR's for the 2010 World Cup was ruled out. The committee "stressed that it would be too soon to implement this new system at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa" Blatter explained that, as AAR's had not been trialled outside of Europe, the committee was of the opinion that any experiment must be carried out "globally" before it can be used in a World Cup. Blatter confirmed that the experiment with AAR's in the Europa League would continue into the 2010 knock-out stages. The meeting also ruled out the use of video refereeing systems similar to those seen in rugby, cricket and tennis. Blatter stated that two companies investigating goal-line technology
Goal-line technology
In association football, goal-line technology is a proposed technology currently in testing stages, which determines when the ball has completely crossed goal line, assisting the referee in calling a goal or not. So far FIFA, footballs governing body, has resisted goal-line technology as well as...
were due to report their results to International Football Association Board
International Football Association Board
The International Football Association Board is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football.-Operations:...
(IFAB) in March 2010. FIFA also called on the General Secretaries of the Continental Federations to propose improvements to the format of the Qualification and Play-Off phase of the World Cup competition, for submission by March 2010.
Henry disciplinary investigation
On the issue of possible disciplinary sanctions against Henry individually, a FIFA spokesperson stated "The [independent] disciplinary commission...will decide if the case is of interest [when they meet sometime in the next two weeks]. The possibility exists of sanctioning a player for unsporting behaviour on the basis of video evidence". Examples of FIFA disciplinary action taken against players for incidents missed by the referee based on video evidence include banning Mauro TassottiMauro Tassotti
Mauro Tassotti is a retired Italian footballer. He played for seventeen years with A.C. Milan, mostly at right back but could also fill in at centre back if required, thanks to his versatility and commitment...
for eight games for use of an elbow during the 1994 World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
quarter-final, and banning Marco Materazzi
Marco Materazzi
Marco Materazzi , is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender, and is currently a free agent.At the beginning of his career, Materazzi played with various Italian teams in Serie B and Serie C, and with Premier League side Everton. He spent two periods with Perugia and signed for...
for two games for his verbal provocation of Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final
2006 FIFA World Cup Final
The 2006 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match that took place on 9 July 2006 at the Olympiastadion, Berlin to determine the winner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Italy beat France on penalties after the match finished 1–1 after extra time...
, resulting in the infamous headbutting incident.
On 2 December after the FIFA EGM it was announced that FIFA's Disciplinary Committee would open an investigation into Henry's handball. No timetable was given for when the investigation, chaired by Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
lawyer Marcel Mathier, would rule on the case.
Blatter said of the decision to single out Henry for investigation of a handball:
I have not said that Thierry Henry will be punished, I have said that Thierry Henry will be examined [by the committee]...it's not a question of this player or another - it was blatant unfair play and was seen all around the world...let [the committee] make the decision. Fair play must be maintained in our game
According to the Associated Press, the committee has the 'authority to impose a one-match suspension on Henry, which would take effect at the start of the World Cup in June'. According to the BBC, FIFA said 'there was no certainty Henry would be banned if found guilty'.
On 18 January 2010 it was announced Henry would face no sanctions in relation to the incident, after the Committee found it had "no legal foundation" to deal with the case, as the relevant rules only covered sanctions for preventing a goal by illegally handling the ball. FIFA rules reportedly forbade any other action as the referee had not seen the original incident. FIFA released the following statement:
the Disciplinary Committee reached the conclusion that there was no legal foundation for the committee to consider the case because handling the ball cannot be regarded as a serious infringement as stipulated in article 77a of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. There is no other legal text that would allow the committee to impose sanctions for any incidents missed by match officials.
The FFF president Jean-Pierre Escalettes hoped the announcement would mark the end of the incident, stating of the decision that is "not astonishing, it is logical".
France national team
FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke later denied that France not being in the top 8 seeded teams2010 FIFA World Cup seeding
The draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup occurred in Cape Town, South Africa, on 4 December 2009, at 19:00 local time . In preparation for the draw, the qualified teams were seeded and organised into pots.- Seeding :...
for the 2010 World Cup draw had been a result of the controversy, stating that the change to the system to only using the world rankings as at October 2009 was fairer than past systems. The FFF President described the decision as logical, although former French coach Michel Hidalgo disagreed.
In a quirk of the resulting draw, the lack of seeding ultimately did not have a detrimental effect on France, as they were drawn into Group A
2010 FIFA World Cup Group A
Group A of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 11 June and ended on 22 June 2010. The group consisted of France, Mexico, Uruguay and the host nation South Africa. France and South Africa previously met at the 1998 FIFA World Cup; France beat South Africa 3–0. France and Uruguay previously met at the...
. By already being allotted to the hosts South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
, a Group A draw was the only possible outcome where France would not have been placed into a group with one of the top 7 seeded teams. South Africa at 86th were the lowest ranked team competing in the tournament, and this was the outcome which the Irish Times had predicted would cause the Irish to feel the most aggrieved. At the finals, France ultimately failed to qualify from their group, failing to win a game and managing only a solitary point in their first match against Uruguay.
France and the Republic of Ireland will not meet in the qualifying matches
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 is a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine...
for the 2012 European Championships, drawn in January with the matches due to begin in September 2010. France were drawn in Group D
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group D
This page shows the standings and results for Group D of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.- Standings :- Results and fixtures :Group D fixtures were negotiated between the participants at a meeting in Luxembourg on 19 February 2010....
while Ireland were drawn in Group B
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group B
This page shows the standings and results for Group B of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.-Standings:- Results and fixtures :...
, although they were drawn together in the practice run for the draw held the day before.
FAI compensation
John Delaney said after the FIFA EGM, that "In terms of the football side, this is the end of the matter", but that "the incident will linger long in the memory like Diego Maradona's handball". Delaney hoped the promise of an inquiry into refereeing and technology was "not a fudge". The FAI and FIFA were however due to meet again after the EGM according to Blatter, to discuss some form of non-financial compensation for the controversy.Match officials
In January 2010, match referee Hansson and his assistant Stefan Wittberg were both selected as one of the thirty officiating teams to be used at the 2010 World Cup; however, Hansson's other assistant on the day of the incident, Fredrik Nilsson who missed the handball, was not selected, being replaced by Henrik Andren. FIFA had insisted at the time of the incident that, with the world Cup referee selection being made on long running assessments, Hansson would probably make the Finals. UEFA president Michel PlatiniMichel Platini
Michel François Platini is a former French football player, manager and current president of UEFA. Platini was a member of the French national team that won the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was the top goalscorer and voted the best player. He participated in the 1978, 1982...
called it a good decision, defending Hansson as having not being responsible as he had not seen the hand-ball.
Reaction
The incident has been compared to MaradonaDiego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
's infamous "Hand of God" goal in the 1986 World Cup, which led to the incident being labelled as the 'Hand of Frog' the 'Hand of Gaul'http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/henrys-hand-of-gaul-cheats-irish-of-world-chance/story-e6frg7mf-1225799918338 and the 'Hand of Henry' affair.
Governments and politicians
Irish Taoiseach Brian CowenBrian Cowen
Brian Cowen is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 7 May 2008 to 9 March 2011. He was head of a coalition government led by Fianna Fáil which until 23 January 2011 had the support of the Green Party and independent TDs.Cowen was also leader of Fianna Fáil from 7 May...
called on FIFA for a replay and stated "fair play is a fundamental part of the game". Cowen raised the issue with French President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
while both were at the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
summit in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
on 19 November 2009. After the summit, Sarkozy stated "I told Brian Cowen how sorry I was for them...But don't ask me to substitute myself for the referee, or the French football authorities, or the European football authorities."
The incident was criticised in Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
, the Irish Parliament. The Irish Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern
Dermot Ahern
Dermot Christopher Ahern is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Louth constituency from 1987 to 2011...
called on FIFA to act in the interests of fair play. The French Prime Minister François Fillon
François Fillon
François Charles Armand Fillon is the Prime Minister of France. He was appointed to that office by President Nicolas Sarkozy on 17 May 2007. He served initially until 13 November 2010 when he resigned from being prime minister before a planned cabinet reshuffle.On 14 November 2010, Sarkozy...
stated that the 'Irish government should not interfere in footballing decisions'. Rama Yade
Rama Yade
Rama Yade is a French politician who served in the government of France from 2007 to 2010. She was Secretary of State for Sports and married to Joseph Zimet - son of Yiddish singer Ben Zimet, an adviser to Secretary of State Jean-Marie Bockel.- Early life :Yade was born in Ouakam, Senegal. She...
, French Secretary of State for Sports, and FFF vice-president Noël Le Graët both defended Henry from accusations of intentional cheating, pointing to his playing record, and stating that he should be presumed innocent unless he stated he deliberately set out to cheat.
The French Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot and Christine Lagarde
Christine Lagarde
Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde is a French lawyer and the managing director of the International Monetary Fund since July 5, 2011...
Minister of Economic Affairs were sympathetic to the Irish viewpoint.
Sports administrators
On the eve of Henry's possible punishment being discussed at the FIFA EGM, FFF technical director Gerard HoullierGérard Houllier
Gérard Houllier, OBE , is a French football manager, who was last manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He stepped down on 1 June 2011, following hospitalisation over heart problems towards the end of the 2010-2011 season....
defended Henry, stating the handball was instinctive and that the blame lay with the referee, pointing out that had the goal not been scored, the match would still have gone to penalties. Houllier also called for the introduction of video refereeing.
According to The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, the organiser of the 2010 World Cup Danny Jordaan
Danny Jordaan
Daniel Alexander "Danny" Jordaan is a South African sports administrator as well as a former lecturer, politician and anti-apartheid activist. He led South Africa's successful 2010 FIFA World Cup bid, the first successful one for Africa. He also led their unsuccessful bid four years earlier for...
resisted calls for video refereeing and believed that 'disputed decisions should be considered part of football'. Leslie Irvine, the Northern Irish
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
former referee and FIFA Instructor on the referee selection panel for the 2010 World Cup, was of the opinion that referee Hansson was not to blame for the incident, as by simply not seeing the incident he had not committed a 'technical infringement', unlike the referee in the Uzbekistan Bahrain game, and said Thierry Henry bore "moral responsibility" for the controversy. Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
, president of the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC) praised Henry's decision to express his regrets over the affair, but declined to comment further, having not seen the incident. On the eve of the FIFA EGM, FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke, while lamenting the fact that after 853 matches in the qualifying process, only one was being talked about, he said "It's important to make sure what happened will not happen again".
Football personalities
While in Dublin on 26 November for a charity event, PeléPelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
said "maybe the linesman could help, but even the linesman doesn't see the game. We say fair play, but you know I don't think it was unfair, something that goes in one second... The result was unfair, but unfortunately you can't change that"
Football pundits Johnny Giles
Johnny Giles
Michael John "Johnny" Giles is a former association footballer and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s...
, Eamon Dunphy
Eamon Dunphy
Eamon Martin Dunphy is an Irish media personality, radio and television presenter, author, sports pundit, as well as a former professional football player. He is best known as a soccer analyst on Raidió Teilifís Éireann 's coverage of the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. He was paid...
and Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...
, analysing the video replays on RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
, disputed whether Shay Given or anybody else was obscuring the view of the assistant referee from seeing the incident, although they were not certain the assistant could have flagged with certainty for handball even if he had a clear line of sight, due to the speed of the incident and flight of the ball. Former Irish international and football pundit Mark Lawrenson
Mark Lawrenson
Mark Thomas Lawrenson is a former professional football player, a defender in the Liverpool and Irish football teams of the 1980s; he since became a radio, television and internet pundit for the BBC and Today FM. He was born in England, but played for the Republic of Ireland because his...
said "The man cheated. He controlled the ball with the second handball. It is a Maradona moment". Another former Irish international Tony Cascarino
Tony Cascarino
Anthony Guy 'Tony' Cascarino is an former association football player who played as a forward for various British and French clubs and internationally for the Republic of Ireland national team, with whom he competed in the 1988 European Football Championship and two World Cups in 1990 and...
wrote in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
that Henry "speaks so eloquently, but to me now he'll always be insincere, a faker, someone who cares only about himself". Former French international David Ginola
David Ginola
David Karl Ginola is a French former international football player who has also worked as an actor and model.Ginola was born in Gassin, Var...
said "I'm very embarrassed by the situation...I don’t feel very proud to be French this morning. The Irish played very well and they deserved to go through as much as France, maybe more. I'm very surprised FIFA haven't mentioned anything about it – the whole world saw the handball. This is a pure injustice. Everyone in France, the press and everyone, says there should be a replay". Former Ireland captain Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
said the attempt by the FAI to get a replay was "rubbish", telling them to "get over it", that France were there for the taking and Ireland should not have allowed Henry to be in such a good position in the first place. Keane later apologised to any Irish fans offended by his "over the top" comments.
Henry's former France teammate Bixente Lizarazu
Bixente Lizarazu
Bixente Lizarazu is a former football left defender who played most notably for Girondins de Bordeaux and Bayern Munich, as well as the French national team.-Football career:...
stated "It was not something to be proud of. I'm not going to party." Henry's former Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and France teammate Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel "Manu" Laurent Petit is a retired French footballer, who played his club football for Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea...
wrote that "The feeling among the French public on Thursday morning was one of embarrassment - we didn't want to qualify in controversial circumstances, we wanted to beat Ireland by playing within the rules" and "Thierry's handball will not send out a good message", but he was of the opinion that this "very rare indiscretion" would not damage his reputation, explaining that "There is a referee on the pitch and if he didn't see that's not France's problem." Petit later criticised FIFA and UEFA for their lack of support for Henry, and believed that Henry had saved Raymond Domenech's job. French player Patrice Evra
Patrice Evra
Patrice Latyr Evra is a French international footballer who currently plays for English club Manchester United in the Premier League and the France national team. Originally an attacker, he primarily plays as a left back and is described as "the classic example of a modern full-back" who is...
questioned the patriotism of those French people attacking Henry, and was of the opinion that those same people would have criticised Henry had he informed the referee he had committed handball. Former French captain Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
blamed the referee for the controversy, and supported the idea of video refereeing or having a fifth referee to assist in games. Former French international Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in...
was critical of Domenech, and referring to Henry's immediate post-match act of consoling an Irish player, said "If I'd been Irish, he wouldn't have lasted three seconds."
Another former Arsenal teammate Lee Dixon
Lee Dixon
Lee Michael Dixon is a former English professional footballer born in Manchester.He formed part of the Arsenal defence from the late 1980s, through till 2002. He was capped 22 times for England, scoring once....
wrote that Henry had gone down in a lot of Arsenal fans' estimations, and Henry "has been a truly great footballer - one of the best players we've ever seen in the Premier League - but now people will remember him for that goal against Ireland. It's really sad". England footballer David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
defended Henry, stating "I honestly didn't think Thierry meant it...I know him as a player and a person. He's a good person and a great player... these things happen in football"
Henry's former Arsenal manager and Frenchman Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
said of the incident that "This isn't the French way and football should learn from this", although he theorised that Henry did not inform the referee due to "the pressure and what's at stake". Wenger later added, "For the sense of justice it is quite embarrassing to see...I think even France is embarrassed...we won the game and won the qualification with a goal that was not a goal". Wenger believed Henry, who was one of the "fairest [players] I've managed", was being unfairly left to face criticism by France, and that the real issue was the lack of technology being in place. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
was of the opinion that "every player and manager in the world" thinks that "technology can play a part" to help referees, but recognised that it was FIFA who had to be convinced. Henry's club manager of Barcelona, Josep Guardiola
Josep Guardiola
Josep "Pep" Guardiola i Sala , is a Spanish football manager and former player. Guardiola played as a defensive midfielder and spent the majority of his playing career with FC Barcelona, whom he currently manages. He was part of Johan Cruyff's dream team that won Barcelona's first European Cup....
said as Henry returned to training in Spain that he "is not proud to have done that, but it wasn't premeditated", and gave guarded support for use of video refereeing. German Robert Huth
Robert Huth
Robert Huth is a German footballer who plays as a centre back for Premier League club Stoke City.Huth was signed for Chelsea from the youth system of German club Union Berlin in 2001 by then Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri. He joined Middlesbrough in 2006 and spent three years at the Riverside...
expressed sympathy with the Irish, but on the merits of a replay, contrasted the lack of a replay after the controversial goal in the 1966 World Cup Final
1966 FIFA World Cup Final
The 1966 FIFA World Cup Final was the final match in the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth football World Cup. The match was contested by England and West Germany on 30 July 1966 at Wembley Stadium in London, and had an attendance of 98,000. England won 4–2 after extra time to win the Jules Rimet...
. Danish goalkeeper Brian Jensen said "He didn't do it on purpose? Blah blah blah
Blah
- In music :* Blah Blah , a 2006 EP and song by Lady Sovereign* Blah Blah Blah , 1986* Blah Blah Blah , 1996* "Blah Blah Blah" , a 2010 single by Ke$ha from her debut album Animal...
. My 'beep'. I won't say the word cheats – but ... I said it".
Thierry Roland, described by the Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
as the "doyen
Doyen
Doyen is a surname. The word doyen is derived from the French term for dean, e.g. Dean and Dean ....
of French TV football commentators", said of the game "It's a scandal, a shame with a capital S."
Media
According to the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, the game "attracted mass news coverage across Europe". Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
(AFP) described how the result of the game sparked an "international outcry" and how as a result of the handball, Henry had been "pilloried as a cheat around the globe". TIME magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
immediately named Henry as number 1 in a List of Sporting Cheats, ahead of Crashgate
Renault Formula One crash controversy
The Renault Formula One crash controversy, dubbed Crashgate by some in the media, is a sporting scandal perpetrated by the Renault F1 team who ordered Nelson Piquet, Jr...
(listed as number 2), Black Sox Scandal
Black Sox Scandal
The Black Sox Scandal took place around and during the play of the American baseball 1919 World Series. Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were banned for life from baseball for intentionally losing games, which allowed the Cincinnati Reds to win the World Series...
,
Ben Johnson, Tonya Harding
Tonya Harding
Tonya Maxine Harding is an American figure skating champion. In 1991 she won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and placed second in the World Championships. She was the second woman, and the first American woman, to complete a triple axel jump in competition...
, Doping in East Germany
Doping in East Germany
East Germany conducted a decades long program to feed performance-enhancing drugs to their athletes. The drug regimes, given either with or without the knowledge of the athletes, resulted in victories in international competitions, including the Olympics.Systematic doping of athletes ended with the...
, Rivaldo at the 2002 World Cup, Boris Onishchenko
Boris Onishchenko
Boris Onishchenko is a former Ukrainian/Soviet modern pentathlete who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics, in the 1972 Summer Olympics, and in the 1976 Summer Olympics.He was a member of the Soviet Union's modern pentathlon team in the 1976 Summer Olympics, infamous...
, Basketboo, Hansie Cronje
Hansie Cronje
Wessel Johannes "Hansie" Cronje was a South African cricketer and captain of the South African national cricket team in the 1990s...
and the original Hand of God goal (listed as number 11).
Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
estimated qualification for the 2010 World Cup was worth £26.7m to Irish football, and was worth a similar amount to the French. FAI chief executive John Delaney
John Delaney
John Adrian Delaney is an American lawyer, politician and university administrator. He currently serves as the president of the University of North Florida. A member of the Republican Party, he served as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 1995 to 2003...
denied the issue was about money, rather a matter of "fair play and integrity". The 2010 tournament prize money was later confirmed by FIFA as being $9m for participating, a further $9m for exiting the group stage, with potential prize totals rising to $30m for the eventual winners.
Spanish media, where Henry had played his club football since leaving England in 2007, took great interest in the event. The Spanish daily sports newspaper Diario Marca carried the headline "Football rails against 'cheating' Henry".
French newspaper L'Équipe
L'Équipe
L'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
greeted the incident with the headline 'Hand of God', while Le Parisien
Le Parisien
Le Parisien is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris and its suburbs. It was established as Le Parisien libéré by Émilien Amaury in 1944, and the name was changed to the current one in 1986...
had "Henry Saves France With His Hand.", and Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
led with "Henry: 'I Am Not the Referee'." L'Equipe also wrote, "France have qualified for the 2010 World Cup, that's for sure, but the result, the most essential thing in sport after all, is not enough to erase the uneasy feeling we had last night". Le Parisien
Le Parisien
Le Parisien is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris and its suburbs. It was established as Le Parisien libéré by Émilien Amaury in 1944, and the name was changed to the current one in 1986...
also wrote "The handball of Henry has brought a decisive contribution to the theme 'being French is being ashamed of one's national team'". Le Monde
Le Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
noted the lack of any calls for a replay following the controversial penalty for handball that went in Ireland's favour, during their previous Group 8
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 8
The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 8 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised 2006 FIFA World Cup winner Italy, Bulgaria, Republic of Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia and Montenegro....
qualifying game against Georgia
Georgia national football team
The Georgia national football team is the national association football team of Georgia and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation. The Georgian team's first match took place in 1990, while Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. The team have attempted to qualify for each major...
on 11 February 2009. Australia's Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
said Henry would "earn a place in infamy as one of the biggest cheats in world sport".
Swedish newspapers advocated that the Swedish referee used for the match Martin Hansson
Martin Hansson
Martin Hansson is a Swedish football referee. Hansson currently resides in Holmsjö. He has been a full international referee for FIFA since 2001....
be removed from further major international assignments. Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet is a Swedish tabloid founded by Lars Johan Hierta in 1830 during the modernization of Sweden. It is one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. Aftonbladet is owned by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Norwegian media group Schibsted, and its editorial page...
declared of the officials "that Team Hansson has also forfeited its right to continue to take charge of major international matches. Anything else would be a further insult to the Irish nation". Mark Ogden of The Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
criticised Henry for not informing referee Hansson during the game, and speculated the incident would 'ruin his career', comparing the cases of referees Anders Frisk
Anders Frisk
Anders Frisk is an insurance agent by trade and a former football referee. Frisk chose to go into early retirement from refereeing due to pressure from death threats made against him and his family. These death threats were made by Chelsea fans because Frisk sent off Didier Drogba in the first...
and Tom Henning Øvrebø
Tom Henning Øvrebø
Tom Henning Øvrebø is a Norwegian football referee. Born in Oslo, Øvrebø is a former UEFA Elite referee, who has refereed matches in the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League...
.
In Britain, where Henry had spent much of his club career, The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
s headline was "Le Hand of God: Cheat Theirry Does A Maradona.", while The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror is a British national daily tabloid newspaper which was founded in 1903. Twice in its history, from 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was changed to read simply The Mirror, which is how the paper is often referred to in popular parlance. It had an...
was "French Nickers.", with The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
using "Hand Gaul!". The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
speculated the incident had the potential to ruin his reputation with a moment of "eternal notoriety". The Guardian's chief sportswriter Richard Williams
Richard Williams (journalist)
Richard Williams is a British music and sports journalist.As a writer, then deputy editor, of the weekly rock magazine Melody Maker, he became an influential commentator on the rise of new forms of rock music at the end of the 1960s. Williams and MM, as it was known, helped to promote and...
wrote that the incident was worse than Maradona's foul, describing his handball as "a street kid's instinct", while Henry's was "a sophisticated man, and a much-decorated one." Williams also critiqued Henry's decision not to inform the referee, citing previous club football examples of players not taking advantage of a referee's mistake: Robbie Fowler
Robbie Fowler
Robert Bernard Fowler is an English footballer who is currently player/manager for Thai Premier League club Muangthong United....
in 1997 unsuccessfully pleading for the referee not to give a penalty in his favour, Paolo Di Canio
Paolo Di Canio
Paolo Di Canio is a Italian former professional footballer and current manager of League Two side Swindon Town. Di Canio made over 500 league appearances and scored over 100 league goals as a player....
in 2000 catching the ball rather than scoring past an incapacitated goalkeeper, and Costin Lazăr
Costin Lazar
Costin Lazăr is a Romanian football player who currently plays for PAOK in Thessaloniki.-Rapid Bucureşti:Lazăr joined Rapid Bucureşti in the summer of 2006....
in 2009 successfully insisting he would not take the penalty awarded to him for what he saw as a fair challenge. Henri Astier wrote for BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
that the reaction in France, a "nation not particularly known for its moral qualms", had ranged from "embarrassment to outrage". Dominic Lawson
Dominic Lawson
Dominic Ralph Campden Lawson is a British journalist.-Background:Educated at Westminster School and then Christ Church, Oxford, he is the elder son of a former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Lawson and socialite Vanessa Salmon, heir to the Lyons Corner House empire, who died of...
wrote in The Sunday Times that "[Ireland] has taken on the role of unjustly oppressed victim – something the Irish do well, having had several centuries of practice".
Patrick Barclay
Patrick Barclay
Patrick 'Paddy' Barclay is a Scottish sportswriter.He started his career with The Guardian in 1970s. When the newspaper The Independent was launched in 1986, he was appointed its first football correspondent. He joined The Observer in 1991, and later became football correspondent of The Sunday...
, Chief Football Correspondent for The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, declared that the Henry incident "ended the argument" over the issue of video refereeing. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
also speculated that the incident might lead to a fast-tracked global deployment of the Additional Assistant Referee
Assistant referee (association football)
In association football, an assistant referee is one of several officials who assist the referee in controlling a match. Two officials, traditionally known as linesmen , stand on the touchlines, while a fourth official assists administrative or other match related tasks as directed by the referee...
(AAR) system already under trial by FIFA, pointing out that under the trial configuration, the extra goal-line assistant would have been standing directly in front of Henry as he touched the ball with his hand. FIFA confirmed the AAR plan was to be discussed at the March 2010 International Football Association Board
International Football Association Board
The International Football Association Board is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football.-Operations:...
meeting. On the issue of football introducing AAR's, the Wall Street Journal compared and contrasted the demands on referees in the World Cup compared to those in National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
and boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, and relayed the negative experience of U.S. Soccer
United States Soccer Federation
The United States Soccer Federation is the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Its headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois. It is a member of FIFA and is responsible for governing amateur and professional soccer, including the men's, women's, youth, futsal...
a decade previously, who took part in an international trial using two referees, one in each half, which 'led to poor game management'. The Times also questioned Henry's record on fair play, recalling his comments and actions during controversial incidents in a 2001/2 Champions League game against Panathinaikos, in the 2001 FA Cup Final, in the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
games against Spain and Portugal, in the 2006 Champions League Final
2006 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2006 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The showpiece event was contested between Barcelona of Spain and Arsenal of England at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, France, on Wednesday, 17...
and 2006/7 Champions League game against CSKA Moscow. Tim Rich of The Independent urged for video refereeing, asserting that the Europa League trial of AAR's had "not been an unqualified success", citing a failure of intervention by the goal line official in a game between Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
, in which the players had to intervene themselves to ensure the main referee, Belgian Paul Allaerts
Paul Allaerts
Paul Allaerts is a Belgian football referee. Outside of refereeing, Allaerts works as an IT manager.Allaerts began refereeing in 1985, and took charge of his first Belgian First Division game in 1996...
, identified the correct man to send off after a foul on Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
player John Arne Riise
John Arne Riise
John Arne Semundseth Riise is a Norwegian footballer who currently plays as a left wing-back for Fulham and the Norwegian national team. Riise spent seven years playing for Premier League side Liverpool before moving to Roma in 2008...
, after mistakenly identifying the offender as Brede Hangeland
Brede Hangeland
Brede Paulsen Hangeland is a Norwegian footballer who plays for Fulham in the Premier League and the Norwegian national team, of which he is the captain. The son of a Norwegian oil company worker, Hangeland was born in Houston, Texas during his parents' two-year spell in the United States, but...
. The player sent off was Stephen Kelly, ironically an unused Irish substitute in the controversial France game.
Jonathan Clegg debated in the Wall Street Journal the effect of the incident on Henry's lucrative sponsorship deals, comparing it to incidents such as ING Group
ING Group
The ING Group is a global financial institution offering retail banking, direct banking, commercial banking, investment banking, asset management, and insurance services. ING is the Dutch member of the Inter-Alpha Group of Banks, a cooperative consortium of 11 prominent European banks...
's withdrawal from the Renault F1
Renault F1
Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...
after the Crashgate controversy
Renault Formula One crash controversy
The Renault Formula One crash controversy, dubbed Crashgate by some in the media, is a sporting scandal perpetrated by the Renault F1 team who ordered Nelson Piquet, Jr...
, the retention of sponsors by Harlequin F.C.
Harlequin F.C.
The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...
after their 'Bloodgate' fake injury scandal, and the enhanced fortunes of Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
in spite of his head-butting of Marco Materazzi
Marco Materazzi
Marco Materazzi , is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender, and is currently a free agent.At the beginning of his career, Materazzi played with various Italian teams in Serie B and Serie C, and with Premier League side Everton. He spent two periods with Perugia and signed for...
in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final
2006 FIFA World Cup Final
The 2006 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match that took place on 9 July 2006 at the Olympiastadion, Berlin to determine the winner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Italy beat France on penalties after the match finished 1–1 after extra time...
. Gillette, who Henry represents in advertisements, were threatened with a boycott and an email campaign. A brand spokesman said that it would not affect their relationship with Henry. Susie Mesure of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
later speculated that there was now a 'Curse of Gillette' befalling its three major sporting representatives, with the Henry controversy being followed in quick succession by Tiger Wood's car accident on 27 November, and a rare defeat of Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
by Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
in the 2009 ATP Tour
2009 ATP World Tour Finals
The 2009 ATP World Tour Finals was held in London, United Kingdom between November 22 and November 29, 2009...
on 28 November. A Gillette spokesperson had earlier denied allegations made by The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
that a version of the Gillette Champions poster showing the three men with a tennis racket, golf club and football, had been doctored to remove a ball from Henry's hand in the French version of their website.
American radio host Jim Rome
Jim Rome
Jim Rome is an American sports radio talk show host syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications....
commented: "I'm glad the guy did it; it led to a goal...How 'bout that guy. The guy was just trying to make a play. I thought it was smart; I liked it. It lead to a goal; what's not to like?"
Speaking on Football Focus
Football Focus
Football Focus is a BBC television show, broadcast on BBC One on Saturday lunchtimes, covering football, presented from the 2009/2010 season by Dan Walker...
on 21 November, Philippe Auclair of France Football
France Football
France Football is a French bi-weekly magazine containing football news from all over the world. It's one of the most reputable sports publications in Europe, mostly because of their photographic reports and accurate statistics of the big European Cup matches, and extensive coverage of the European...
magazine said that, unlike Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in...
's "moment of madness", he could not see Thierry Henry earning a similar redemption in England for this "calculated moment of cheating".
On 22 November, the Irish Independent
Irish Independent
The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...
claimed that the FFF had been willing to stage a replay and that FIFA would not have prevented it, but the offer had been blocked by the French manager Raymond Domenech
Raymond Domenech
Raymond Domenech is a retired French footballer and the former manager of the France national team.-2006 World Cup:On 12 July 2004, Domenech was a surprise choice to succeed Jacques Santini after the country's disappointing exit from UEFA Euro 2004 by losing in the quarter-final match to the...
.
A Wall Street Journal editorial supported FIFA's decision not to replay the match and distinguished the refereeing error from the one in the replayed Uzbekistan-Bahrain match.
Henry Winter
Henry Winter
Henry Winter is an English sports journalist, currently football correspondent of The Daily Telegraph.The younger brother of Muslim scholar and academic Timothy Winter, Henry attended Westminster School and Edinburgh University.After graduation, he spent a year producing a magazine on sport in...
of The Telegraph wrote that FIFA had "gained some credibility" by deciding to investigate Henry after the EGM, whose presence at the World Cup would otherwise overshadow the Fair Play campaign, and that the Henry controversy made the case for having a panel of experts examine every major game after the event for infractions missed by the referee. Winter contrasted any possible punishment of Henry with the two month ban issued to Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
for simply 'insulting reporters'. Diana Worman on Aljazeera.net criticised FIFA's decision to investigate Henry for an act that happens all the time, and would have only warranted a yellow card, writing "Henry should never have been expected to make a 'sportsmanlike' decision after the goal and it's unfair for Fifa to make an example of him". The Canadian Press criticised FIFA's "cowardly" decision to investigate Henry and do nothing to change the situation for the 2010 World Cup. The Irish Times stated that the FAI's recommendations to FIFA in the wake of the controversy had been "effectively disregarded" at the EGM.
After the announcement that Henry would face no sanctions, Simon Rice of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
declared Henry had "got away with it", and compared his lack of punishment to nine other notable sporting incidents: Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
(1994 Australian Grand Prix
1994 Australian Grand Prix
The 1994 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on November 13, 1994 at the Adelaide Street Circuit. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1994 Formula One season. The race is remembered for an incident involving the two title contenders Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher which...
), Sir Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
(against the Football Association generally), Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
(4th test, South Africa v England, 2010
English cricket team in South Africa in 2009–10
-2nd T20I:-1st ODI:-2nd ODI:-3rd ODI:-4th ODI:-5th ODI:-1st Test:-2nd Test:-3rd Test:-4th Test:-50-over tour match: England XI v Diamond Eagles:-50-over tour match: England XI v Chevrolet Warriors :...
), Eduardo
Eduardo da Silva
Eduardo Alves da Silva , commonly known as Eduardo, sometimes nicknamed as Dudu, is a Brazilian-born Croatian footballer who plays for Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk and the Croatia national team...
(diving against Celtic, 26 August 2009
2009–10 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round
This article details the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round.There are two paths:*Champions Path, which include all domestic champions which do not automatically qualify for the group stage....
), Toni Schumacher
Harald Schumacher
Harald Anton Schumacher , commonly known as Toni Schumacher, is a German former football goalkeeper, and a member of the West German national team. He won the 1980 European Championship and lost two World Cup finals, in 1982 and 1986...
(1982 World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
semi-final), Trevor Chappell
Trevor Chappell
Trevor Martin Chappell is a former Australian cricketer, a member of the South Australian Chappell family which excelled at cricket...
(the 1981 Underarm bowling incident
Underarm bowling incident of 1981
The underarm bowling incident of 1981 took place on 1 February 1981, when Australia was playing New Zealand in a One Day International cricket match, the third of five such matches in the final of the Benson & Hedges World Series Cup, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground...
), Andy Haden
Andy Haden
Andrew Maxwell Haden is a former New Zealand rugby union player, who was a lock-forward for Auckland and New Zealand in the 1970s and 1980s.-Life and career:...
(Wales v New Zealand, 1978), Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
(1986 Hand of God goal) and Fred Lorz
Frederick Lorz
Frederick "Fred" Lorz was an American long distance runner who won the 1905 Boston Marathon. Lorz is also known for his "finish" in the marathon at the 1904 Summer Olympics....
(1904 Olympics Mens Marathon). After the announcement, Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
speculated that any discipliniary action for Henry would have presented an "unwelcome precedent" for FIFA, and any punishment would have been merely symbolic, given the lack of prior cases of such retrospective player sanctions.
FIFA's subsequent decision to select referee Hansson as one of the 2010 World Cup officials was criticised by the Irish media, as well as UEFA president Michel Platini
Michel Platini
Michel François Platini is a former French football player, manager and current president of UEFA. Platini was a member of the French national team that won the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was the top goalscorer and voted the best player. He participated in the 1978, 1982...
's comments that it would have been "great" if France and the Republic of Ireland had been drawn together for the 2012 European Championships.
Other
'A few hundred' Irish fans marched from Lansdowne RoadLansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
Stadium to the French embassy on Ailesbury Road
Ailesbury Road
Ailesbury Road , Dublin 4, Ireland, is a tree-lined avenue linking Sydney Parade Station on Sydney Parade Avenue and the Church of the Sacred Heart, Donnybrook....
in Dublin, to demand a replay. The protesters were described as 'light hearted' and drawn from all age groups. An online poll run by French newspaper Le Monde
Le Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
revealed 88% of the 97,000 respondents said "no" to the question "Does France deserve to be in South Africa?". A Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
petition demanding a replay was signed by over 500,000. The petition was to be handed to FIFA once it passed half a million signatories. The French teachers' union SNEP-FSU condemned Henry's irresponsible example of "indisputable cheating". Henry's official Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
page was reportedly suspended due to "strange activity". When the World Cup pool games began Pizza Hut Delivery Ireland began a promotion offering a free pizza to every goal scored against France.
The Mighty Stef wrote "Protest Song with No Name", which ends with the lyrics "you might cheat us, you might beat us, but you'll never lay a hand on our soul". The Corrigan Brothers
There's No One as Irish as Barack O'Bama
"There’s No One As Irish As Barack O'Bama" is a humorous folk song written in 2008 by the Irish band Hardy Drew and the Nancy Boys , and set to a tune derived from a traditional air...
wrote "The Hand of Henry", which includes the line "Sepp Blatter was happy". French company Le Coq Sportif
Le Coq Sportif
Le Coq Sportif is a French company producing sports equipment such as shoes, shorts, and T-shirts. It was founded in 1882 by Émile Camuset, but the first clothing items branded with the rooster appeared in 1948...
were parodied over the incident, with an agency printing T-Shirts with the words Le Coq un-Sportif. Irish bookmakers Paddy Power
Paddy Power
Paddy Power is Ireland’s largest bookmaker. Offline it conducts business through a chain of licensed betting offices and by operating Ireland's largest telephone betting service. Online it offers sports betting, online poker, online bingo, online casino games and spread betting...
launched a two week advertising campaign in the baggage claim
Baggage claim
In airport terminals, a baggage claim area is an area where arriving passengers claim checked-in baggage after disembarking from an airline flight. The alternative term baggage reclaim is used to mean the same thing at many airports outside the USA In airport terminals, a baggage claim area is an...
area of Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
poking fun at Henry, with posters stating "Paddy Power welcomes you to Ireland... unless you're called Thierry". Cleaners in Ireland also reportedly vandalised the unrelated Henry brand of vacuum cleaner
Vacuum cleaner
A vacuum cleaner, commonly referred to as a "vacuum," is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors, and optionally from other surfaces as well. The dirt is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal...
. Irish rockstar Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
called on FIFA to do the noble thing, not act bureaucratically, and grant Ireland's request to be added to the World Cup as a 33rd entrant.
French philosopher Alain Finkielkraut
Alain Finkielkraut
Alain Finkielkraut is a French essayist, and son of a Jewish-Polish manufacturer of fine leather goods who had been deported to Auschwitz and survived. He currently teaches at the École polytechnique as professor of the "history of ideas and modernity" in the department of humanities and social...
said on Europe 1
Europe 1
Europe 1, formerly known as Europe n° 1, is a privately owned radio network created in 1955. It is one of the leading French radio broadcasters and heard throughout France...
radio that "We are faced with a real matter of conscience...We certainly have nothing to be proud of." British author Roger Scruton
Roger Scruton
Roger Vernon Scruton is a conservative English philosopher and writer. He is the author of over 30 books, including Art and Imagination , Sexual Desire , The Aesthetics of Music , and A Political Philosophy: Arguments For Conservatism...
said "one of the major justifications of sport in all its forms is that it teaches the virtues of fair play...Victory achieved by cheating leaves a foul taste in the mouth...and makes the whole thing as pointless to [the defeated team and its supporters] as it is to someone like me who has never quite experienced the allure of the game". The founder of the British Philosophy of Sport Association called for "restorative justice", and said that players had an obligation to honesty that "over-rides their self-serving commitments". French economist Jacques Attali
Jacques Attali
Jacques Attali is a French economist, writer and senior civil servant.Former adviser to President François Mitterrand and first president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, he founded the non-profit organization PlaNet Finance and was nominated President of the Commission for...
wrote "Nous sommes tous Irlandais", in reference to the Le Monde headline "Nous sommes tous Americains" (We are all Americans) in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
Bookmakers William Hill
William Hill (bookmaker)
William Hill plc is one of the largest bookmakers in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters is in the north London suburb of Wood Green and in Leeds, West Yorkshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
stated they would refund any bets placed backing Ireland to qualify, to be "as fair as possible to everyone."
Thierry Henry was "booed relentlessly" by fans of Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
in his first competitive match after playing Ireland.
On December 4, 2009, Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
co-presented the draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa, accompanied by several other celebrities of South African origin. During rehearsals she drew an Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
ball instead of France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
as a joke at the expense of FIFA, referring to the Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
handball controversy and France's controversial qualification. The stunt alarmed FIFA enough for it to fear she might do it again in front of a live global audience.
Irish fans donned sombrero
Sombrero
Sombrero in English refers to a type of wide-brimmed hat originating in Mexico. In Spanish, however, it is the generic word for "hat", which originates from "sombra", meaning "shade"....
s and cheered as Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
beat France 2-0 in the finals on 17 June 2010.
Comparison to other events
The 2010 Leinster Senior Football Championship Final2010 Leinster Senior Football Championship Final
The 2010 Leinster Senior Football Championship Final was the last football match of the 2010 Leinster Senior Football Championship, played between Louth and Meath on 11 July 2010 in Croke Park, Dublin. Louth were appearing in their first Leinster Senior Football Championship Final in 50 years...
between Louth
Louth GAA
The Louth County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Louth GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Louth. The county board is also responsible for the Louth inter-county teams....
and Meath
Meath GAA
The Meath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Meath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Meath, as well as for Meath inter-county teams.- Pre-1960s :...
held at Croke Park on 11 July 2010 drew comparisons with Thierry Henry's cheating due to its controversial ending in which Louth were wrongfully defeated by a last minute Meath goal which was thrown into the net and therefore should not have stood. Louth were in the lead at the time and would have won their first Leinster Senior Football Championship in 53 years if Meath had not been given the goal. Louth fans burst onto the pitch as the final whistle blew, chasing and physically assaulting the referee around the field, while a steward was knocked unconscious with a bottle during ugly scenes played out on live television. The referee was struck on at least three different points as he scrambled away from the baying mob. Meath chairman Barney Allen compared calls for the game to be replayed with Henry's moment of shame, saying "Ireland didn't get a replay when France got a lucky goal". As the controversy continuted to erupt, RTÉ analyst Pat Spillane
Pat Spillane
Patrick Gerard Spillane , better known as Pat Spillane, is a retired Gaelic footballer and well known Irish sports pundit. He played Gaelic football with his local club Templenoe and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1975 until 1991...
called it a "disgrace". Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events...
said the "goal" would "now go down in infamy as the GAA's Thierry Henry incident".