Hand-gate

Now that the dust has begun to settle after the events in the Stade de France on Wednesday night, it’s a little easier to reflect with a bit of perspective.

Ireland were beaten by a goal that should never have been given, that much is clear, and as such can consider themselves very unfortunate. But is Thierry Henry really the villain he’s being vilified as?

He cheated, yes. But show me a player who doesn’t. Perhaps even the word “cheat” is a little too strong, he basically tried to gain an advantage and hope that he got away with it. Is that really any different to all the players who dive to win a penalty or free-kick, feign injury to get an opponent booked, claim a corner when they know the ball came off them last and so on and so on…

The big difference is that Henry’s sleight of hand directly resulted in a decisive goal, and that he got away with it. At the other end of the pitch Robbie Keane attempted to gain an advantage twice by handling the ball, but he was spotted by the referee. What’s the difference?

I’m not defending it or saying that it’s right, because I wish these incidents were removed from our game, nor am I decrying the sense of frustration and injustice the Irish must be feeling. But Henry shouldn’t be overly vilified for it – well, not too much anyway.

To my mind the real culprits were the officials for not spotting a blatant handball, and FIFA for keeping their heads firmly in the sand about the use of video technology. Hell, even Platini’s scheme of two goal line officials would have prevented this goal from standing.

To deal with the officials first of all, the referee Martin Hansson looked to be unsighted due to several players blocking his view and so he can be excused. But he is meant to receive help from his linesman. The linesman was on the far side from the incident, meaning he was facing Henry. Was his eye line blocked by Given? That can be his only excuse, but he should have been in a position to see it.

As for FIFA, perhaps this furore will serve as a form nudge in the direction of video evidence. Their argument against is two-fold. Firstly that the referee’s judgement can’t be questioned, but other sports have shown that a video ref merely aids the referee when he is unsure and helps make correct decisions. Secondly, that it would slow the game down.

My suggestion would be for each team to have a set number of challenges, say 2 or 3, which can be used at any point in the match at the manager’s discretion. Another challenge would be available if a game went to extra time as it did on Wednesday.

The manager can’t waste challenges on minor points and risk not having one if something major happens – such as a handball in the lead up to a goal! But what do I know.

The Irish FA have made an official appeal to FIFA to have the match replayed. As much as I sympathise with the injustice of it all, I don’t see how FIFA could do anything other than what they have done, which is to turn down that appeal.

The Irish cited the precedent of the 2005 qualifier between Uzbekistan and Bahrain being replayed, but that was due to the laws being applied incorrectly, rather than something being missed by the officials. If we go down the road of replaying every match where the result is affected by a referee’s mistake then we’ll never get anything done, and the World Cup Finals could well last for 6 months!

It is rotten luck, and no reward, for an excellent battling performance from Ireland, although their play in the first leg was rather less impressive. Their complaints are utterly understandable, but cries of conspiracy are well over the top. Had there been a conspiracy then surely the referee would have given a penalty when Nicolas Anelka fell in the area, or in the first leg when Patrice Evra did likewise. That would have been a rather easier way of ensuring a French victory than waiting until deep into extra time and ignoring a handball.

For many of the Irish, this was their last opportunity to add to their 2002 appearance, with none of the current crop old enough to have played in 1994. It’s a great shame that they were beaten by an injustice, but let’s not forget the scores were tied at the time, and they could well have lost anyway. The younger players will have to try again in four years time, and will carry this injustice with them and can hopefully use it an inspiration.

As for France, they’ve scraped through to the Finals, and perhaps a suitable punishment is the fact that they now will keep Raymond Domenech as coach, which should ensure a dismal performance next summer, unless he persuades Zidane out of retirement again! They will also go to South Africa with many people hoping them to fail, if that counts for anything.