France Vs Republic of Ireland – Henry Handball Sends France Through To The World Cup 2010

In one of the most dubious handball decisions since Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal against England in the 1986 FIFA World Cup quarter finals, Thierry Henry has put France through to the World Cup after beating Rep. of Ireland 2-1 on agg. AET.

If you ever needed a reason for goal line technology or extra officials, this was it. As the ball comes sailing over the top, the ball hits Henry’s hand, and then from what it looks like, he controls the ball with the same hand, then dinks it over to William Gallas who nods the ball in to make the score 1-1 on the night, and 2-1 on aggregate.

If you saw the footage, you can clearly see that the 3,4, even 5 players including goalkeeper Shay Given, immediately raise their hands in perfect synchronisation to appeal for the handball even before Henry plays the ball to William Gallas who heads it in to the Ireland net.

Earlier in the game, Nicolas Anelka nealy won France a penalty, when he dived over Given’s outstretched hand. The penalty, nor a booking for Anelka was given. So what was the decision then? Strange.

After the game, it looked as though Henry couldn’t crack a smile, he sat down next to Ireland defender Richard Dunne, gave him a pat on the knee, and walked off.

It’s a sad day for Ireland who miss out on the World Cup, but it could be even sadder for Henry, who could face the repercussions for a long time yet.

My verdict: Robbed. Have your say on the incident.

Source: BBC News