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Monday 21 May 2012

La Main du Match

Thursday, 19th November 2009

Photo: Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images

If there were a World Cup for Being Sanctimonious, Ireland would qualify every time. So, mind you, might Scotland. The aftermath of last night's match in Paris has been predictably entertaining. One refereeing blunder (though it's quite pssible the referee was unsighted and so did not, in fact, "bottle" the decision) has provided ample opportunity for cant and humbug. Thus, the Irish demand that the match be replayed. Good idea! Let's have another go at the 1966 World Cup Final while we're at it!

FAI President John Delaney complains:

"There's a team that should be in the World Cup today and that's us. We should be there but we are not there."

And Justice Minister Dermot Ahern* moans:

"They probably won't grant it [a replay] as we are minnows in world football but let's put them on the spot," the minister said. "It's the least we owe the thousands of devastated young fans around the country."

For crying out loud. Even by the standards of the Most Oppressed People Ever this is less than dignified. Indeed, it's weak toast.

It's hardly a surprise that an Arsenal man is revealed as a cheat, but Henry's handball did not deprive Ireland of a trip to South Africa. All it did was ensure that they did not lose on penalties. (Of course they might have won a shoot-out). If you want to blame anyone, blame Damien Duff for missing a chance that was in the more-or-less-a-sitter category and that, if put away, would have rendered Henry's handball irrelevent.

And you know, I kind of think that if Ireland had enjoyed such a piece of "good fortune" in, say, the Jack Charlton era** there'd have been a lot of jovial nudging and winking and revelling in the hilarity of it all***.

Anyway, keen eyes will notice that there's now an "Email Alex" button at the top of the page. So you can complain in person, as well as in the comments...

UPDATE: And look! Fianna Fail are asking you to sign a petition to be sent to FIFA! It's enough to make one think Monsieur Henry must be a paid FF agent, designed to divert attention away from NAMA, economic collapse and Fianna Fail's own political bankruptcy.

UPDATE 2: This sort of thing has happened before. Welshmen with an interest in football will remember 1978 And All That when Joe Jordan's handball won Scotland the vital penalty. Of course we received our comeuppance at the actual World Cup and, who knows, maybe France will too.

*Last heard of proposing a disgraceful new blasphemy law.

**Of course, in 1994 FIFA showed how much they hated the Irish by making them play during hot weather. For real. This nonsense was taken very seriously by Dublin taxi drivers and radio "personalities".

***Indeed. Henry's handball was disgraceful; Diego Maradona's was hilarious.

Filed under: Football (89 more articles) , France (246 more articles) , Ireland (194 more articles)

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Murphy

November 19th, 2009 6:46pm Report this comment

Complete anti Irish drivel

Austin Barry

November 19th, 2009 6:53pm Report this comment

How soon before our beloved Taoiseach Brian Cowen, a man whose unfortunate face exemplifies the venality and corruption of the Irish political class, or indeed an under-inflated leather football circa 1956, starts whinging.

We did indeed find Maradona's Hand of God goal and the huffing and puffing outrage of the English hilarious, but you can't really expect us to appreciate the delightful symmetry of irony can you? Not after those centuries of oppression, journeyman footballers and the irritation of knowing George Best was a Prod.

Snowman

November 19th, 2009 6:56pm Report this comment

Alex, a friendly word into your ear: the clock has moved. Hentry’s no longer kicking the ball for Arsenal.

Whilst we are at it, few days back, next door, the ardent MFC admirer had a go at Celtic, and got beaten handsomely. My many admirable attempts to calm things down by suggesting that all football clubs should be kicked out of the game but one – ARSENAL – got either censored or, sadly, ignored. Why don’t people listen.

EC

November 19th, 2009 8:46pm Report this comment

Ah the ritual taunting,

"I wave my private parts at your aunties. I fart in your general direction..." etc.

John Edwards

November 19th, 2009 8:55pm Report this comment

"Great idea let's replay the 1966 World Cup Final"
Websites such as Youtube are full of video clips (frequently doctored) intended to show that England's third goal never crossed the line, often posted by sad and deluded Scots.

There is however, a difference between benefiting from a borderline decision and deliberate cheating as in the case of the Henry and Maradona handball incidents.

I was not surprised about Henry as I seem to recall he was the first player ever to time waste near the corner flag in the final minutes of an FA Cup Final, part of that great football occasion's decline.