Thierry Henry is one of this generation’s legends of European soccer. The 32-year-old striker has been a member of the French national team since 1997 and has scored over 50 goals for Les Bleux - to say nothing of his nearly 230 goals in club play. He was one of the faces of Gillette shaving products stateside and has also been featured in innumerable soccer advertisements here and overseas. He’s also, as FOX SPORTS notes, guilty of one of the most flagrant uncalled handballs in the history of international play; step aside, Maradona.
(Yeah, you’re really, really not allowed to do that.)
What made this play especially egregious is that it happened with 13 minutes gone in extra time of a World Cup qualifying playoff between France and plucky Ireland. Though Ireland led the match at the time, the aggregate score was 1-1, and it was essentially a “next goal wins the World Cup berth” situation. Stage set? All right.
So with time winding down in the first overtime and a ball about to sail past Henry, the Frenchman stuck his hand out, knocked the ball down (which, we might remind you, is about as legal as playing atop a motorcycle), kicked it to teammate William Gallas, and watched as Gallas headed the ball home to give France the bid to South Africa in 2010. Oh, and just for good measure, he admitted he did it on purpose.
Video (with bonus uncalled offsides!) is after the break.
This was sensationally bad. How the referees didn’t think something might have been up when no fewer than seven Irish defenders began calling for the handball even before the fateful pass to Gallas is beyond us - and let’s not get started on two Frenchmen being so obviously offsides.
But perhaps you’re thinking, “but so what? I don’t know what all this soccer talk’s about.” So here’s an NFL corollary. You know how people were outraged when Brett Favre was taking out guys’ knees? Thierry Henry’s not a Favre, more like a LaDainian Tomlinson, but his committing a handball to decide a game like this is like if LT went Last Boy Scout on an opposing defense. On a game-winning touchdown in overtime. With no flag. And, we suppose, no subsequent arrest for multiple homicides.
At this point, with the game decided, there really isn’t a lot for Henry to do. As mentioned above, according to THE CANADIAN PRESS, he already fessed up:
After the match, the Barcelona striker said Swedish referee Martin Hansson was the main culprit for not spotting the infringement.
“I will be honest, it was a handball. But I’m not the ref,” Henry said. “I played it. The ref allowed it. That’s a question you should ask him.”
Further, the game’s in the books, so… what more is there? He’s going to get absolutely savaged in the press for a while - see the TIMES OF LONDON’s not-quite-subtle “Thierry Henry is an insincere cheat who has tarnished his reputation for good” headline - and then the story’s going to disappear (to great fanfare from Dublin) when France is knocked out of the World Cup in 2010.
Okay, one more corollary. This is like being in Game 7 of the ALCS, and Derek Jeter is up in the 9th inning and 2 out, then fouls one back and out of play, then circles the bases in ecstasy… at which point the ump takes his word for it, gives him the home run, and the Yankees win. Henry’s right, to an extent; this is on the refereeing. It’s just a shame that he put the game in the refs’ hands by, well, putting it in his own hands first.
1:00 am on November 19th, 2009
“Okay, one more corollary. This is like being in Game 7 of the ALCS, and Derek Jeter is up in the 9th inning and 2 out, then fouls one back and out of play, then circles the bases in ecstasy… at which point the ump takes his word for it, gives him the home run, and the Yankees win.”
No, that’s a horrible analogy. Compare it to the horrible call in this year’s playoffs where the umpire missed the ball falling 8 inches into fair territory, and you come a bit closer to the mark.
1:05 am on November 19th, 2009
You sure about that, Chris? If all you were arguing is the blown offsides call, I’d agree. But in your analogy, where’s the Godzilla-obvious cheating? It’s not that an official missed where a ball bounced in the France-Ireland game. He missed a deliberate handball that was 10 times as obvious as the original Hand of God. He basically caught the ball, put it down, and kicked for the assist. It’s really hard to more flagrantly break the rules of soccer without a deadly weapon in your hand.
3:40 am on November 19th, 2009
before that, this is a travesty, Ireland was screwed, and like has been done before, a replay should be offered and played, but with UEFA being ran by a Frenchman and FIFA already fixing the qualification playoffs last minute to do everything they could to get France (and Portugal) into the WC, I’m sure nothing will happen for Ireland (sucks for Robbie Keane, maybe his last chance at a WC and he’s a great player)…
as for the analogy;
it’s overtime in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, neither team has any timeouts, Lebron dunks over Garnett to take the lead over the Celtics by 1, 10 seconds left…
clock running they inbound it to Pierce, he dribbles it off his foot, runs after it, ball is clearly a foot out of bounds and he KICKS the ball downcourt, Sheed catches it out of midair under the basket, lays it in at the buzzer, refs who are looking right at it don’t make the call because they have orders from the NBA for a Celtics-Lakers finals…Celtics are off to the NBA Finals….
5:51 am on November 19th, 2009
It’s an absolute disgrace for football may the culprits of this shamble be punished! why should Ireland pay the price for this?apart from the fact that france is a shit team that in the last 10 years have played one of the worst football I ever seen..a bunch of primadonna guided by a clown called Domenech
9:34 am on November 19th, 2009
I know I might get some flak for this, but the term is “offside”, not “offsides”. As in: the player is “off his side”. There is only one side to be off, as it were. I know, I know, languages change, common usage, etc., but on the other hand: “should of”.
Also: the “Hand of God” play is still the worst handball ever.
10:50 am on November 19th, 2009
It’s Les Bleus, not Les Bleux. Bleu is irregular among words ending in -eu.
2:43 pm on November 19th, 2009
Who cares it’s soccer ? If the World Cup wasn’t being pimped on every channel of the 4 letter universe no one outside of France and Ireland would care.
Stupid game, next as big as my porch and they try and get as close as possible to score? Just kick it damn it!!!!
6:08 pm on November 19th, 2009
FIFA should susoend Henry for 3 dgames- to be served in the first round of the Cup. Seems fair to me
11:56 pm on November 19th, 2009
suspend him? come on - the governing body needs to do the right thing and replay the game. it’s not like they can’t play … oh, I don’t know … now. you have to correct such a blatant game changing missed call. I know it’s only a game but it’s fair —- and oh yeah, more people will watch it this time I promise therefore much, much more dinero will be made. Brilliant!!!
10:55 am on November 20th, 2009
FIFA should give Ireland a re-match.
1:39 pm on November 22nd, 2009
that idiot ref should switch to basketball