Posted on Thursday, 21st January 2010 by Jordan Cassalet
Thierry Henry is free at last! Henry faced a ton of criticism for his handle ball versus Ireland during their World Cup qualifying match. This hand ball led to the goal that France scored against Ireland, which allowed France to advance to the World Cup and which sent Ireland home, ending their hopes of a trip to South Africa.
As much as I wanted to see the luck of the Irish pull through, I have to agree with this decision. There are several comparisons I’ve been discussing that make it clear for me.
Take any other sport, for example Michael Jordan and basketball. If MJ traveled during a big game that led to a game winner (knowing he did this), there would be absolutely no chance he would be penalized in any way. There’s a team that would get the blame and that’s the team of the referee’s. This wouldn’t be MJ’s fault, things happen during games!
FIFA came to the decision that this play ball Henry doesn’t deserve any punishment. They couldn’t find any legal wrong doings by Henry, which would allow FIFA to punish him. In my opinion, the refs should deal with this before Henry. I know if I didn’t do my job right, I may have to deal with some punishment!
FIFA could have had Henry on the side-lines during the World Cup this summer. Luckily, the decision allows Henry to play which is a blessing (unless you’re playing France!). It’s a blessing in the sense that no living legend should miss this and most want to see the best soccer possible.
I’ve played soccer my entire life at high levels in the States and I’ve been part of some heart-breaking calls. Some were in my favor and some were against us, but the fingers could only be pointed at one person - The ref! It was never an issue with the players as it’s not their responsibility.
Ireland went on asking FIFA to replay the match. I knew there was no shot of this. I would have loved to see a rematch, but they can’t justify missing a call to replay the match. Perhaps this will help make the push for reviews in soccer. I think that would really take away from the flow of the game and I think adding additional refs on the end-line would be a better solution.
As a soccer player, I’ve witnessed many sneaky tactics during games and have pulled some off myself. This is all a part of the game, although some may say it’s bad sportsmanship. I hate to see what Henry did determine the outcome of the game (and more), but again, it’s part of the game. He took a chance of getting a card!
This writer is a huge soccer fan. He enjoys playing and watching soccer on his free time. Check out his reviews on the latest soccer supplies and youth soccer shoes at his blog.
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