Henry's Hand

As the FAI accept defeat in getting a replay with France, the saga of Henry's hand flutters away as club football returns. Fifa got what they wanted the top seed in the world cup draw. But as the anger of the moment withdraws the call for video footage in matches will grow stronger.

To brand Henry a cheat is step too far. Cheating occurs in all sports and no more so than in soccer. Almost every weekend from the Sunday league to the Premier league cheating occurs. From diving, pulling shirts, shoulders and handballs it’s a common sight in everyday football.

The outbursts of anger towards Eduardo’s dive against Celtic and now Henry are a reflection of today’s society. This is a form of Political Correctness is sport. As in society we take the moral high ground in order to succeed or to make others feel inferior, ultimately to win an argument. This PC world is a false attempt at bettering oneself over others.

Now it has entered our sporting arenas. Ireland are taking the moral high ground, their false PC attitude is an attempt to win. To brand a player like Henry a cheat based on a single error is an outrageous accusation. If roles were reversed would Irish players fulfil the acts they are requesting from Henry, France and Fifa most certainly not.

The fact is hand balls are apart of football, they have won, games, titles, and world cups. Maradonas hand ball gained a greater reward than Henrys. Both players are considered to be great players of their generation. In the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, there was no technology to call on or request, referees decisions were accepted and the game moved on. What saved Maradonna was that after his now famous Hand of God he scored one of the greatest goals ever. The skill and beauty defined the player that was Maradona. Henrys hand ball was not followed up with a moment of foot balling splendour, although his is career full of them. Henry will have to wait until the World Cup to wipe out his error with a goal to equal the greats.

Henry has let himself down on the follow up act. To celebrate so intensely on an act of wrongness was disgraceful. To sit in false sympathy with Irish player’s grotesque, and to admit and request a replay was an act of a false martyr of footballs Fair Play. Henry played the other side of the Political Correctness game. He did and said the right things knowing they would be rendered useless, he took a moral high ground to protect himself, for some he can be called the cheat with a false conscience.

For Martin Hansson the referee there is a great injustice, until that moment he had managed the game excellently. He is suffering the fact that refereeing decisions are not about rules of the game but about money. Refereeing decisions are always read with the words “such decisions cost a team money”. A referee is not an overseer of accounts and financial costs but of rules and laws. Like all rules they are there to be broken. Flying a yellow flag of Fair Play is a dismal attempt to oust player arrogance. Fifas and UEFAs inability to enter the modern sporting world of the fourth referee will allow players arrogance to thrive.

It is in the hands of Fifa and UEFA to end these sagas. The technology is there and other sports like tennis and rugby have shown that the game can continue unhindered. It is correct that a replay is not granted, because for now handballs and diving are an accepted method of gaining the advantage. It is not the sole responsibility of the referee to fly the Fair Play Flag. It lies on the shoulders of players and mangers but above all Fifa. It is Fifa who have the power to end all this, it is they who have the power to ensure a greater level of fairness. As they mull over this Henry will have to live with his conscience.