Hand of Henry

[j.o.s.h.1408]

if henry admited it to the ref, he would be instantly kicked out of the french team by the media and fans from france

[MrPink]

if henry admited it to the ref, he would be instantly kicked out of the french team by the media and fans from france

I don't think so. The French media and fans aren't very happy about the way in which they've qualified. Admitting it wouldn't have knocked them out of the World Cup. I think many would have rather take their chances with 15 minutes to go.

[Zhaoman]

if henry admited it to the ref, he would be instantly kicked out of the french team by the media and fans from france

If anyone, say Rooney, from the English team admitted to handballing a winning goal would we want them kicked off the team? If it cost us a place in the finals then it would certainly cause a lot of anger and rage and probably labels of traitor being thrown around but I doubt they would be kicked out no matter what the media furore. And this highlights the attitude to cheating in football that I was getting at, cheating is readily accepted as a way to win when it could and should be different as in other sports.

[Anders]

I saw Henry's true colours when he tried to suggest it was the ref's fault for not seeing it, incredibly disingenuous. This from the guy who complained about Barcelona's unsporting behaviour in the 2006 CL final "Next time I'll learn to dive, but I am not a woman.".

Players cheat, then blame the ref for not seeing it. FIFA turn a blind eye to cheating, won't give refs the best tools available, then blame and punish refs when they make mistakes. Thousands of refs quit every year and FIFA wonder why.

[DannyM]

I've not seen it, but I saw a snap in the paper.

It was the balls fault tbh, shouldn't of jumped into Henrys hand...

But seriously, it made for a better morning of sports news than hearing one team lost on penalties!

Anyone would of done it, Henry just stands out because he's not a 'usual suspect'.

[Zhaoman]

Excuse me, please watch the video of what happened before declaring it was the ball's fault. The first touch stopped the momentum of the ball and the second touch brought the ball round 90 degrees to land at his right foot. It is 100% clear that the ball did not just 'bounce' into his hand. Be under no illusions this wasn't just a 'tap the ball with his finger', he pretty much grabbed it and pushed it in a different direction like a basketball.

[Zhaoman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxw1-Id91lQ

There you go so please don't jump to conclusions and assume we are all saying this because 'he doesn't seem like a usual suspect'. It's not a good idea to go thinking you are so high and mighty just because you saw one still from a paper and can dismiss the opinions of everyone who's seen the actual footage and are discussing it.

[this_is_gav]

Yup, just ask Owen rooney and gerrard to name a few that have cheated in the past. o wait they are english so they dont count. .

I love the irony of an Arsenal fan, of all people, pointing out players of other teams as cheats!

[DannyM]

Excuse me, please watch the video of what happened before declaring it was the ball's fault. The first touch stopped the momentum of the ball and the second touch brought the ball round 90 degrees to land at his right foot. It is 100% clear that the ball did not just 'bounce' into his hand. Be under no illusions this wasn't just a 'tap the ball with his finger', he pretty much grabbed it and pushed it in a different direction like a basketball.

There you go so please don't jump to conclusions and assume we are all saying this because 'he doesn't seem like a usual suspect'. It's not a good idea to go thinking you are so high and mighty just because you saw one still from a paper and can dismiss the opinions of everyone who's seen the actual footage and are discussing it.

It was the balls fault tbh, shouldn't of jumped into Henrys hand...

this was a piss take hence the next line...

But seriously, it made for a better morning of sports news than hearing one team lost on penalties!

As far as him not been a usual suspect well I wouldn't say he is.

So please, get off your high horse, thanks.

[DannyM]

I love the irony of an Arsenal fan, of all people, pointing out players of other teams as cheats!

Every team has cheaters, some teams are cheats, I suppose it's what makes football more interesting!

[j.o.s.h.1408]

I love the irony of an Arsenal fan, of all people, pointing out players of other teams as cheats!

Ok then what about eboue?. he is a cheat too you know. i specificly mentioned our beloved gerrard and rooney because the are british and arsenal don't have a British player that cheats yet. if we did then yea i would name and shame them.

Unlike most british fans and the media, im not bias. Yes i support england and there players but at the same time treat them the same way i treat and comment on foreign players. A pitty most dont follow suit.

I can bet you that if rooney did the same in a similar situation, there wont be a thread titled " Rooney the cheating scum" thread


no Irony on my post mate.

[Blitzen]

Ronaldo (although a great player, made a MASSIVE contribution to the 'cheating element)
Drogba
Eduardo (put in so i do not sound bias)
Owen
Gerrard
Rooney
Torres
All cheating divers.

So the Irish are out!
The qualifying isn't over 1 game, its over alot more so if they were good enough they wouldve qualified before hand.

Fact remains that if a foreigner dives we are on them like a shot.
An Englishman dives (a la Rooney or Owen), no-one says a word.
It's now part of the game.

I just cannot see why Henry is getting slaughtered for it.
Are you really trying to say that if Rooney 'hand-balled' to get us to the WOrld Cup FInals he wouldve admitted it? Wake up and smell the coffee!

Besides which, if things like this didn't happen, and we had video evidence, football would just turn into a plain spectator sport like rugby as there would be nothing to banter/argue about the next day at work.

[this_is_gav]

no Irony on my post mate.

Not if you don't understand the word, no.

[Steve A]

I will simply leave it to what Mr Roy Keane (Legend) Said on the BBC, as he sums it up beautifully,

Roy Keane has no sympathy for Republic of Ireland exit

Keane was typically robust when asked about the Republic's appeal
Roy Keane has lambasted the Republic of Ireland's attempts to get their controversial World Cup play-off match against France replayed.
The Republic appealed to Fifa after their 2-1 aggregate defeat by France on the basis that the winning goal came after a blatant Thierry Henry handball.
But Ipswich boss Keane said: "They can complain all they want but France are going to the World Cup - get over it.
"France were there for the taking and Ireland didn't do it. Same old story."
The Irishman, who made 65 appearances for the Republic as a player, continued: "If I'd been there in the dressing room after the game, I wouldn't be talking about the handball. I'd focus on why the defenders didn't clear it. They should've cleared it.
"I'd be more annoyed with my defenders and my goalkeeper than Thierry Henry. How can you let the ball bounce in your six-yard box? How can you let Thierry Henry get goal-side of you? If the ball goes into the six-yard box, where the hell is my goalkeeper?
"These are skills and lessons you learn as a schoolboy.
"Ireland had their chances in the two games and they never took them. They had chances at Croke Park (in the first leg) and they had chances on Wednesday.

"They didn't take them, but it's the usual FAI (Football Association of Ireland) reaction - 'we've been robbed, the honesty of the game...' It's rubbish."
And Keane pointed out that controversial decisions went Ireland's way in the qualifying campaign, not least a harsh penalty award against Georgia which helped them to clinch a 2-1 qualifying win in February.
"There was one match against Georgia where Ireland got a penalty and it was one of the worst decisions I've ever seen which changed the whole course of the game.
"I don't remember the FAI after the game saying we should give them a replay."
Keane's antipathy towards the FAI stems back to the Pacific island of Saipan in 2002 when he left the team's pre-World Cup training camp, complaining that the facilities were sub-standard.
Keane has never forgiven Delaney for failing to contact him during the incident and misleading the media as to his whereabouts after his controversial exit from the tournament after the row with boss Mick McCarthy over facilities.
"People seem to forget what was going on in that World Cup, and that man (FAI chief executive John Delaney) is on about honesty? I wouldn't take notice of anything that man says.
"I was one of the players at that World Cup and he didn't have the courtesy to ring me. I'd been involved with Ireland since I was 15 years of age and that man didn't have the decency to make a phone call. He could have phoned me, of course he could have."

Ok Keane is probably still abit sour from the 2002 world cup dramas, but no-one could argue with a single word of this ..

[Steve A]

Whats next?

maybe we should ask Maradona and Shilton if they want reply the 1986 World Cup game.

This is football and why we "LOVE" it, if all the desicions were correct we would have nothing to talk about,

I am also against goal line refs and any other crap they wanna throw into the game.

My Game is beautiful, leave it alone please

[Mossy]

I can bet you that if rooney did the same in a similar situation, there wont be a thread titled " Rooney the cheating scum" thread


no Irony on my post mate.

I'd take that bet with you.