And once again… we have nothing good to say about the French.

Romance, Architecture, Liberty, The French kiss, Good wine, the Tour De France, a disgustingly ugly accent and the menage a trois are all glorious hallmarks by which every Frenchman can hang their chapeau. Well, minus the accent. But for all you bluecoats, here’s another famous trait for ya: your ability to piss the world off.

The Stade De France, or ‘Stade De Fraud,’ as it should be referred to, was the site of an extremely controversial goal that has now generated a whirl wind of speculation for the FIFA governing body. Anyone who saw the game has to be infuriated with the cheek of Thierry Henry in handling the ball not once, but twice, in setting up William Gallas’ winning goal.

The Irish were dismayed, and Robbie Keane’s outburst, shredding FIFA’s authority was well justified. Ireland did file an appeal to replay the game, which, Thierry Henry admitted, was the “fairest solution” to the controversy. But as expected, FIFA denied Ireland of a chance at justice. The final score is simple: Ireland were cheated out of a trip to South Africa.


Not just the Irish mob, but all football fans should be furious.

What makes football such a pure sport is the fact that it is the most democratic sport on the planet. You don’t have to be six-foot-tall, you don’t have to run the 100 meters in less than 12 seconds, you don’t have to be able to bench press 250 pounds and no, you don’t have to be able to bend it like Beckham. There is no other sport where six year old boys, female college students and black-lunged grandpas can all play against each other in a competitive manner. Football, like love, is a universal language. The equality of the game is magnificent in that every nation grows up playing the sport. It’s a purely democratic game where common sense and unselfishness thrive.

The world cup is the quintessence of the sport and a great example of why football is just remarkably beautiful. Every nation has a shot to make the tournament and to win it. Every culture, every country and every race find common ground and turn their attention to this tournament, making it the most widely-viewed event in the world.

But, FIFA’s refusal to use replays and the decision to deny Ireland’s humble appeal is threatening the foundations of the integrity of the sport. It’s shameful and embarrassing to say the least.

I am a huge Thierry Henry fan. As an Arsenal faithful, he has been an icon and arguably one of the best footballers of all time. He is an ambassador of the sport known not only for his stunning goals but for his fight against racism throughout Europe and for campaigning racial integrity for all leagues across the world.
But his handling of the ball is just unforgivable. At such a big stage, a world cup qualifier, what he did was nothing short of blatant cheating. In the post-game interview he said that the “ball hit my hand.” Sorry Ti Ti, but that is a lie. Henry down right handled the ball, caressing it gently down to his feet so he could cross it to Gallas. It was no accident, and it did not hit his hand, he consciously handled it.

Yes, it is Martin Hansson’s (the referee) fault for not noticing the handball, but that’s only part of the issue. The fact is that Henry, being a house-hold name, and role model was just un-classy. Sadly, he has completely tarnished his once formidable reputation by this unforgivable act.
After the ball hit the back of the net, Henry celebrated the goal while the Irish hung their heads in dismay as the incompetent Swedish referee let the goal stand. French media and former French greats blame the referee. Fair enough, but Les Bleus, I hope there are a lot of boo’s ringing your ears when you get to Johannesberg.

But there is a larger picture. It is the same argument that football associations of smaller European and South American countries as well as Asian and African countries have been making for years, much before any one who reads this post was born. Football, meant to be a democratic sport, is held in the hands of the powerful European based FIFA. Keane was right when he said “of course Platini is happy, France are in the World Cup.”

Once again, the European elite get all the luck that they need and this is something that needs to be looked at. It’s not just about who wins the pick to host the next World Cup nor is it about the unfair seeding system per continent. It’s about the sport, and how every country deserves a fair chance. Sorry Ireland, but FIFA has ruined the dream to play in the World Cup, not just for many of the Irishmen that took the pitch that day, but for the nation as well. Every footballer dreams of playing in the World Cup, and because of the decision of a few corrupt leaders, it will be another four years before this opportunity comes back around. Now how fair is that?