Henry handball against Ireland

Vandenburg · Futures level

Henry handball against Ireland

Count Zero · Tennis legend

not good at all. i am a fan of henry after his arsenal days. really this should not be allowe dto decided who goes to world cup or not. henry should have said to ref he handballed

wolf · Tennis legend

?

No-one would have owned up to it, football is just not like that.

Just another advert for video technology.

Count Zero · Tennis legend

but wouldnt it be nice if they did....

Vandenburg · Futures level

he has to own up to it?
i dont want a reply or anything

but he has to come out and own up to it.

Ratty · County player

Don't make me laugh, 99% of footballers would have done exactly the same.

And he has owned up to it ...

Count Zero · Tennis legend

aparantly henry told the ref he handled it but the ref did nothing?

indiana · Tennis legend

I did really want Ireland to win and reach the World Cup Finals.

But that said I certainly don't see that Henry should be pilloried.

The handballing was instinctive and after the goal was scored, as wolf and Ratty have said, I would not seriously expect very many professional footballers, and especially not in a world cup final qualifier to say sorry, please disallow that goal, I handled the ball.

Which actually makes me quite intrigued that the Count says Henry told the ref. I was aware that he had owned up to it ( kind of difficult not to smile

). But if this was at the time, it is actually a huge thing for Henry to have done, and does beg how the ref was unmoved by this when combined by the instinctive claims by all the Ireland defense. Maybe it was later on that Henry told the ref ?

Re video technology in football, from being a previous non believer , I have come round to the view that it should be used at the higher echelons of the game ( indeed as deep into the professional game as is practical and affordable ).

FIFA seems to argue that it would make the game different at professional level. But that's really a non starter. How many park matches have a referee AND two linesmen. Indeed in the Europa League this season they have 2 further goalline officials, which if you add the 4th official, makes 6 officials in all. So the game is already very differently officiated at the higher levels.

Rugby union, rugby league, cricket and tennis have all recognised that it is important to get the major decisions right. It is time football did.

It may be great for pub banter and moans, but for the so-called greatest game in the world not to be prepared to take simple steps to reduce clearly wrong decisions which can have huge consequences, just on this strange FIFA intransigence, is well just wrong.

I do recognise the debate about how much would you use it, possibly interrupting the flow of the game and how some things will always be a matter of opinion even after review.

But the fact is millions of folk knew instantly that that France goal should not have stood. One of the few folk who did not or have any way of finding out otherwise was the man who ultimately mattered, the referree. How crazy is that ?!

So I would put to review : 1) All goals for any clear reason to disallow. 2) All penalties awarded again for any clear reason not to allow ( and possibly for consideration to allow when in doubt ). Also, although I don't actually think it would be used on that many occasions, goalline technology to confirm whether a ball has or has not crossed the line.

General incidents during the game I would not review. Football should never be allowed to become a stop-start affair with continual video references. But after goals and penalty decisions, which ulktimately are the most important matters, then there is a natural break anyway, and a pitchside official with monitor should be able to quickly convey to the referree relevant information.

Clearly I wouldn't do it just for this, but it actually would potentially add to the tension / excitement if after a goal was seemingly scored, the crowd then had a short wait for the official final GOAL or NO GOAL confirmation.

indiana · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:

Which actually makes me quite intrigued that the Count says Henry told the ref. I was aware that he had owned up to it ( kind of difficult not to ). But if this was at the time, it is actually a huge thing for Henry to have done, and does beg how the ref was unmoved by this when combined by the instinctive claims by all the Ireland defense. Maybe it was later on that Henry told the ref ?

Having read todays press it is pretty clear that Henry admitted nothing at the time, but just after the match. I am sure the referree was delighted by that news

Henry has since said on his Twitter : "im not the referee... but if i hurt some one im sorry"

As I said earlier, I still don't think Henry should be pilloried. Was what happened right ? Of course not. Would an Irish or indeed English, Scottish or Welsh player have admitted to the fact at the time ? You decide

wolf · Tennis legend

At the time no player would have admitted to it.

Any player honest enough to do that would not have handballed it in the first place.

indiana · Tennis legend

While I agree that I couldn't imagine a player admitting to the handball, I wouldn't agree that the actual handball and the chance to admit it are matters that I would link in the way wolf does.

Re the 2 handballs by Henry, the first was almost certainly instinctive just as the ball seemed to be going out of play, the second while yes deliberate control was probably also a fairly automatic instinctive thing at the time that many would have done ( and would not normally have had the huge goal consequences that it did this time ). The handballs themselves are to me in no way worthy of condemnation or "cheat" accusations.

I then see quite differently the whole scenario once the goal has gone in when he has a chance to consider what has happened and the ramifications of it. The non admission then I can see some would say as worthy of condemnation, though as I said I wouldn't have expected an admission by him or any other player in these circumstances. So I guess any condemnation should be more more condemnation of honesty in professional football generally.

Henry did miss a chance to make what would have been a quite legendary admission, so he missed a huge "good" for his reputation. But he just doesn't deserve the abuse he will get and indeed already is getting all over the internet.

If blaming anyone, blame FIFA for their pigheadiness re video technology and relying on a referree to see something that was apparently on his blind side re his position as against Henry. Or equip them with x-ray specs to see through someone !