Ireland Logs Complaint Over French Handball, Demands Replay Of Match

Sports News - November 19th, 2009 - Written by John

The scene in Ireland, as painted by it's officials, is a drab and dreary landscape devastated by an inexcusable gaff that kept the country out of the World Cup. And it is demanding satisfaction.

Ireland appealed to the powers of the soccer world on Thursday, asking for a replay of it's qualifying match against France that they claim was a sham. The Irish soccer association logged an official complaint with FIFA, the Associated Press reports, appealing to the honor of the sport in which they claim is now tainted.

“Throughout the country today there is an air of bitterness. We were beaten unfairly and there is general disgust in France too,” Irish lawmaker Joe McHugh said. “Friends of mine who attended last night’s game phoned me this morning from a cafe in Paris to report that the French people are ashamed and do not regard this as an honest victory.”

The Irish led France 1-0 during extra time, until Thierry Henry clearly handled the ball twice, which led to a late score that tied it. France was awarded the spot in the World Cup finals in South Africa on a 2-1 aggregate.

“If that result remains, it reinforces the view that if you cheat you will win,” said Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern.

As a result of the loss, Irish officials have claimed that the entire country is in dismay, torn by the way their countrymen lost, and the fact that everyone appears to concede that the egregious error wasn't penalized.

Even Henry said earlier in the the week that he definitely handled the ball.

Left back Kevin Kilbane said Henry: “handballed it once and it’s still going out of play, so he’s handled it again to make sure it doesn’t go out of play. I asked him on the pitch: Did you handball it? And he said, ‘Yes—but I didn’t mean it.”’

“Millions of people worldwide saw it was a blatant double handball, not to mention a double offside,” said Ahern, who pointed out two French players appeared to be offside from a free kick that preceded the goal. “We should put the powers that be in the cozy world of FIFA on the spot and demand a replay.”

Several members of the Irish team, including head coach Giovanni Trapattoni, believe a replay of the match is unlikely, but it is not unprecedented. In 2005, FIFA officials ruled a match between Uzbekistan and Bahrain void after a referee's error.

“The Football Association of Ireland is hoping that FIFA and its disciplinary committee will, on behalf of football fans worldwide, act in a similar fashion so that the standards of fair play and integrity can be protected,” the Dublin organization said in a statement.

The non-call, defender Sean St. Ledger said, "has cost us a lot of our dreams."

"We got robbed," he said. "We feel cheated. We were the better team."

Soccer Odds in this match had Ireland as 1 goal underdogs paying just over 2 to 1 on bets.

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