How France got through to the World Cup

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Thierry Henry admits to handball that defeated Ireland in World Cup play-off

November 19, 2009 -- France striker Thierry Henry admitted that he had intentionally handled the ball to set up William Gallas’s decisive goal against the Republic of Ireland in Wednesday night's World Cup play-off in Paris. With cries of “cheat” ringing in his ears from furious Irish fans, the Barcelona and former Arsenal forward emerged from the dressing room to say: “I will be honest, it was a handball. But I’m not the ref. I played it, the ref allowed it. That’s a question you should ask him.”

Henry may have been shamed into making his confession by Ireland’s manager, Giovanni Trapattoni who had earlier stopped short of accusing the player of cheating, but added that Henry should be given the chance to admit his offence. Trapattoni said: “All European people saw the situation. I am sure that, if the referee had asked Henry, he would have admitted to the handball. I would prefer to go out on penalties than this. I am sad because the referee had the time to ask the linesman and Henry. I am upset for fair play because we are told many times about fair play. We didn’t change the rules three months ago. I go into schools to talk about fair play and tell the young kids that it’s important for their life.” Irish defender Richard Dunne was less charitable, saying: “I think it was quite blatant that he cheated. The linesman was in line with the incident, it wasn’t even a hard decision to make.”

Gallas attempted to dodge the controversy surrounding his former Arsenal team-mate by insisting he did not see how Henry provided the pass for the goal. Gallas said: “It all happened so quickly. I received the ball from Thierry, but I couldn’t see. I saw Thierry’s pass, the Irish were surprised and I put my head and my chest out.” France coach Raymond Domenech, a contrary and unpopular figure in France, brushed off Irish complaints during a heated post-match press conference. Domenech said: “I didn’t see the hand. You people [media] are talking of this after seeing it from 80 yards. The referee gave the goal, but I couldn’t see anything from where I was. I didn’t see the replay. But I am disappointed for the Irish team, their public and fans. I regret that Ireland haven’t qualified for the World Cup.”

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, commentating for French broadcaster TF1, was more candid in his assessment of the goal, however, by admitting that France "went through thanks to a refereeing error". Ireland had produced an incredible display of character and determination to take the game into extra-time after Robbie Keane’s 32nd minute goal had squared the tie and cancelled out Nicolas Anelka’s first-leg winner. But despite dominating for 90 minutes, Ireland failed to convert one of their many opportunities to score a second and leave France facing up to elimination. Keane twice and Damien Duff both spurned golden chances in the second-half to put the game beyond the French, who were booed off the pitch at half-time by their own supporters. Ireland’s inability to punish the hosts further ultimately proved their undoing when Gallas levelled the tie on the night and put France 2-1 ahead on aggregate. But the manner of France’s progression, and Henry’s role in Ireland’s demise, are unlikely to be forgotten quickly by the Irish, who left Paris with a justifiable sense of injustice.

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Referee breaks silence over Thierry Henry handball

November 20, 2009 -- The referee who was in charge of the Republic of Ireland's World Cup play-off with France, Martin Hansson, spoke for the first time today about his error which contributed to Ireland's World Cup exit, insisting "life must go on". Hansson failed to spot Thierry Henry's handball in the build-up to William Gallas's equaliser on the night which enabled France to go through 2-1 on aggregate. Hansson has since been widely condemned for his mistake but he is hoping to put the incident behind him. He told the Swedish regional radio channel Radio Blekinge: "I cannot comment on the game itself but life must go on and I hope I will survive this too." Reports have suggested Hansson will still make FIFA's list for next summer's World Cup finals in South Africa. "Really? Has it been in the evening papers? Well, then it has to be true, hasn't it?" he said, with more than a hint of sarcasm.

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Qualification 2010 - Europe — Henry aimerait rejouer

Eurosport - ven, 20 nov 14:45:00 2009


Thierry Henry est revenu sur la faute de main qui a précipité l'élimination de l'Irlande du mondial 2010. Dans un communiqué, l'attaquant des Bleus juge que rejouer le match serait « la solution la plus équitable ». Une solution jugée impossible par la Fifa un peu plus tôt dans la journée.



Devant l'avalanche médiatique dont il fait l'objet depuis la qualification de la France aux dépens de l'Eire mercredi, Thierry Henry a tenu à s'exprimer. Et c'est sous la forme d'un communiqué transmis à la presse britannique qu'il a donné son avis sur cette affaire. « La solution la plus équitable serait bien sûr de rejouer le match, mais ce n'est pas de mon ressort », a estimé Titi dans ce texte rédigé en anglais. Une réaction peut-être un peu tardive. Un peu plus tôt dans la journée, la Fifa avait en effet mis fin aux supputations en rappelant que « les décisions de l'arbitre sur des faits en relation avec le jeu sont sans appel, y compris la validation d'un but et le résultat du match ».

Fustigé par toute la presse étrangère depuis sa main qui a amené le but des Français et a mis un terme au rêve sud-africain des Irlandais, le meilleur buteur de l'histoire de l'équipe de France (51 buts en 117 sélections) est visiblement affecté par l'ampleur pris par cette affaire. Et ne cache pas son malaise. « Je suis naturellement gêné de la manière dont nous avons gagné et je suis extrêmement désolé pour les Irlandais, qui méritent vraiment d'être en Afrique du Sud », avoue l'ancien joueur d'Arsenal avant d'ajouter « je ne peux pas faire plus que d'admettre que j'ai touché le ballon de la main, que cela a mené notre égalisation et que je suis vraiment désolé pour les Irlandais ».

D'instinct

Pour calmer l'affaire, Thierry Henry, qui avait déjà reconnu sa main après le match au Stade de France, revient aussi sur l'action. Et réfute catégoriquement le caractère volontaire de son geste. « Je ne suis pas un tricheur et je ne l'ai jamais été. C'était une réaction d'instinct. Le ballon arrivait très vite et il y avait du monde autour du point de penalty. En tant que footballeur, nous n'avons pas le luxe de pouvoir ralentir l'action comme à la télévision afin de se faire une idée. Si vous le voyez à vitesse réelle, vous verrez que c'est une réaction instinctive. Ça ne peut pas être autre chose », glisse-t-il.

Si Henry fait amende honorable, certains y verront toutefois une tentative pour redorer son blason outre-Manche. Le communiqué est d'ailleurs en anglais. Après plus de 15 ans de carrière, le buteur n'avait jamais eu une réputation de tricheur. Son image en a pris un coup mercredi. Sa main restera dans l'esprit des gens. Et ce n'est pas son mea culpa et son idée de rejouer qui devraient changer les choses en Irlande…

Source : Qualification 2010 - Europe — Henry aimerait rejouer - Yahoo! Sport

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Mondial 2010 :
Le match France-Irlande ne sera pas rejoué

Samedi 21 Novembre 2009 -- Maradona a fait des émules. Nul n'oubliera comment le capitaine de l'équipe d'Argentine a «chipé» le ballon à la main à son adversaire direct et inscrit, qualifiant son équipe aux dépens de l'Angleterre. On n'omettra pas non plus le but de la main du joueur de Benfica, Vata, en ligue des champions, ce qui a coûté cher à l'Olympique Marseille du président Tapi. Mercredi soir, Thierry Henry, tel un handballeur, a manipulé le ballon et offert le but à son coéquipier Gallas. À 1 à 1 et après la victoire acquise chez les Irlandais, l'équipe de France a arraché son billet pour l'Afrique du Sud. Mais ce but entaché par une telle faute a soulevé un tollé général tant en France que dans les autres pays européens. Même des personnalités politiques ont exprimé leur dégoût à propos de ce qui est considéré comme une tricherie inadmissible à ce niveau de la compétition. Le capitaine de l'équipe de France a été traité de tous les noms d'oiseaux, bien qu'il ait avoué «que le ballon lui a touché la main, mais que c'était involontaire». Nul ne croit à cette version. À commencer par les victimes, les Irlandais, qui ont demandé à ce que le match soit rejoué, sollicitant même l'appui de la Fédération française. La FIFA s'est saisie en urgence de cette affaire qui a fait le tour du monde et sa décision est conforme aux lois du jeu. En effet, le match ne sera pas rejoué car considérant «que la faute de l'arbitre suédois Martin Hansson résulte d'un fait de jeu». Les Irlandais ont bien cité en exemple dans leur réclamation le cas du match Bahrein-Ouzbékistan qui a été rejoué. La FIFA a souligné que dans ce match, l'arbitre avait commis une faute technique, ce qui est totalement différent du fait de jeu du match France-Eire. La loi V, en effet, fait de l'arbitre le décideur dans ce genre de situations. En tout cas, cette affaire risque de relancer le fameux débat lié à l'arbitrage. Les uns sollicitent le recours à la vidéo comme en rugby et cela pour réduire de façon conséquente les erreurs d'arbitrage. Mais aussi Blatter (président de la FIFA) que Platini (président de l'UEFA) préfèrent des «mesures humaines», se refusant à «robotiser» le football. Déjà, l'expérience des deux arbitres de but a été appliquée lors des rencontres de l'Europea Ligue (ex-Coupe de l'UEFA) et tout indique que les résultats sont satisfaisants. À titre d'exemple, si cette procédure avait été appliquée lors du match Algérie-Rwanda, le but de Antar Yahia aurait été accordé et peut être que le match d'appui n'aurait pas été nécessaire. Dans le camp français, Domenech a déclaré «qu'on ne va se faire hara-kiri parce que, pour une fois, l'arbitre s'est trompé en notre faveur». On est loin de l'attitude très fair-play de Arsène Wenger qui, parce que son équipe Arsenal a inscrit un but sans rendre le ballon après une blessure comme c'est l'usage, a proposé au club de Sheffield United de rejouer le match. L'offre a été acceptée. Le match a été effectivement rejoué et Arsenal a gagné de nouveau pour le compte du cinquième tour de la Coupe d'Angleterre. Ce qui a valu l'estime générale des Anglais, très chatouillent en matière de fair-play. Décidément, les moeurs du football ont bien changé, les beaux sentiments paraissant en net décalage avec le réalisme sportif.

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FIFA considers punishing Thierry Henry over handball incident

November 30, 2009 -- FIFA will decide on Wednesday how to punish Thierry Henry over his controversial handball against the Republic of Ireland as part of a wide-ranging disciplinary crackdown that could include the introduction of five match officials at next year's World Cup. Sepp Blatter revealed yesterday that tomorrow's emergency meeting of the FIFA executive committee would consider sanctions against Henry but did not say whether the player could be banned. In the wake of the furore over Henry's handball Blatter again ruled out the use of video technology, saying that the game had to retain its "human face". But he again advocated the use of goalline technology, saying that FIFA would introduce it when it became "accurate" enough. The France striker, whose actions provoked a storm of protest, told the FIFA president in a private phone call that his wife and daughter in London had faced threats from enraged fans as a result of his infamous handball prior to crossing for William Gallas to put Ireland out of the tournament.

Speaking at the Soccerex conference in Johannesburg, Blatter also said that sudden-death play-offs could be scrapped ahead of the next World Cup qualifying campaign in the wake of the chaos that enveloped the match in Paris and other combustible ties between Egypt and Algeria and Uruguay and Costa Rica. "There is too much at stake and football is so important. To be qualified or not qualified is so important. To determine qualification by one match only … we have to look at that," said Blatter. The FIFA president said that deliberate handballs, shirt pulling and diving had become a threat to the game's future. "There is a lack of discipline and respect in the game by the players because they are cheating by playing with the hand, pulling shirts and diving. We have to fight against that," he said.

Blatter, who is expected to stand for re-election as FIFA president in 2011 for a further four-year term, said he would appeal to the executive committee to do their "duty" and take tough action to crack down on dissent and cheating. "One billion people are indirectly involved in our game. Those that have the highest responsibility are those exposed by the television cameras but also because they take the highest amount of money. They must have a responsibility. This is the appeal I will make to the executive committee, otherwise I will do it alone," he said. "We have to take responsibility to make sure FIFA's World Cup in Africa will be played according to the rules of the game and the sprit of fair play. We have six months to show to the world that we have changed because of what has happened in the last [qualifying] matches of the World Cup. If we are not able to do so, we will put our papers under the desk and go home. We must do it."

As revealed by the Guardian, the International Football Association Board will discuss in March whether to agree to introduce two linesmen behind each goal to adjudicate on incidents in the penalty areas, as trialled in this year's Europa League. "We will have to see if this is feasible and whether it is realistic. But we have to do something." Blatter said he has been asked by the French FA to speak to Henry because he felt "isolated and a little bit abandoned". The Barcelona forward asked Blatter if he would be punished and the FIFA president told him the matter would be put before the executive board.

Blatter also revealed that a delegation from the Football Association of Ireland had asked for the team to be added to this Friday's draw in Cape Town as a 33rd team in the wake of Henry's widely condemned handball. Blatter said he would put the suggestion to the FIFA executive committee but it is highly unlikely to be acted upon. The FAI confirmed that it had travelled to FIFA's HQ in Zurich last week for a 90-minute meeting with Blatter. "A lot was discussed at the meeting and at one stage the FAI asked if Ireland could be accommodated into the World Cup 2010," it said. "Other suggestions were also made to mitigate against further occurrences of such incidents, including the use of additional goalline assistant referees for FIFA international matches, further use of video technology for matches at the highest level, stronger provisions to discourage players from engaging in such blatant breaches of the laws of the game and provisions to strengthen referee selection for such important matches."

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Republic of Ireland will not be involved in 2010 World Cup, FIFA confirms

dECEMBER 1, 2009 -- FIFA has dashed any lingering hopes that the Republic of Ireland could play in next year's World Cup finals, stating that it would be impossible to add a 33rd team to the tournament. FIFA's general secretary, Jérôme Valcke, told a news conference three days before the draw for the finals in South Africa that Ireland should not entertain hopes of being given an extra place because of France's controversial handball goal against them. "I wouldn't say it's a nonsense but it is impossible," said Valcke. "There's no hope to give that there will be any more than 32 teams at the World Cup in South Africa."

The FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, revealed on Monday that Ireland had requested a place at the finals in addition to the 32 qualified teams because they felt cheated by Thierry Henry's controversial goal for France in their play-off match. Valcke said that, as Ireland had made an official request, the matter would have to go before Wednesday's organising committee meeting in Cape Town. But he said Blatter, who runs football's world governing body, had told the Irish very clearly they had no chance of success. Valcke said there would be too many organisational problems to overcome and that other teams who felt penalised by wrong refereeing decisions could also come forward and make similar claims. "We had 853 qualifying matches," Valcke said. "It's sad that we are talking about just one game."