Check out this disgrace from today's World Cup qualifier between Ireland and France. Ireland's up 1-0 in extra time in the second leg with the winner going to next year's finals in South Africa. (The previous encounter was a 1-0 France win so they needed OT to get a winner.)
Thierry Henry of France clearly handles the ball on a long pass in the penalty area (and he looked like he was offsides to boot), and gets the ball over to William Gallas, who scores the tying goal, and France goes to the finals, and Ireland gets screwed big time, and will watch the finals on TV. Here's more about the match.
It makes the Irish in me boil over. Pathetic.
6 comments:
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Jason
HilariousHeadlines.com/talk
New York
Supposedly also there was another handball in the sequence. I hope the protest works the fact that it was not immediately denied gives me some faint hope. Ata sports bar that was split France/Ireland. French fans were happy but only mildly so. France players also had a very muted reaction. Just awful
Protest not entirely hopeless as there is some precedent:
From universalsports.com
The Football Association of Ireland said it expects the world's governing body to follow what it called FIFA's own 2005 precedent, when it declared invalid the result of a World Cup qualification match between Uzbekistan and Bahrain following a referee's critical error.
So at least faint hope
I also heard a similar thing happened that favored Arsenal in an FA Cup match some years ago, and Arsene Wenger asked for and got a rematch played. Arsenal won anyway.
I hope Ireland gets a replay. The French team is tainted by this "win" and everyone knows it...
It was denied - I was told they actually did give it serious consideration. Henry said it should be replayed (after FIFA ruled) so I thought that was a good gesture anyway. One thing that doesn't get mentioned enough. Ireland is the better team (not quite as skilled) but faster, better in air, better ball winning.
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