Ireland Demanding Replay

The FA of Ireland and the Irish government are demanding that the second leg of the Ireland-France playoff tie be replayed after it was decided by a blatant handball by Thierry Henry. FIFA have confirmed that they have received a formal request for a replay, but have not yet given a verdict.

For those who missed the play, you can see it here. In the 103rd minute, a Florent Malouda cross fell to the backpost, where Thierry Henry hit the ball twice with his hand before crossing to an open William Gallas for the goal that ultimately decided the tie. The play has resulted in substantial criticism of Thierry Henry, referee Martin Hansson, and the French team as a whole. Ireland, meanwhile, who looked like the better team over the two legs, rightfully feel completely cheated by the whole situation.

FAI chief executive John Delaney said after the game, "There is a team that should be in the World Cup today, and that's us. It's up to them, in particular the French, to recognize there was a travesty last night, an injustice."

Ireland assistant Liam Brady echoed similar sentiments, saying, "If the game's going to survive, it's got to be an equal playing field. If we're going to have integrity and dignity in the world game, the game should be replayed. And we'll go to Paris to play it."

Ireland believe that FIFA has set a precedent for such a situation with their ruling in a 2005 World Cup qualifier between Uzbekistan and Bahrain, which saw the result of that match declared invalid because of a refereeing error. While some have a little bit of optimism that this just might work, manager Giovanni Trapattoni is not so hopeful, calling a replay "impossible." He did, however, go on to advocate that FIFA and UEFA institute replay technology to prevent similar travesties in the future.

USSD's take? The lack of integrity on Thierry Henry's part was sickening, and it's a shame that so many except this as "part of the game." It will only continue to be a part of the game because so many use that reasoning. It was truly a disgusting display that marred a riveting tie and robbed the Irish players and fans of their dream. While I hope that FIFA will grant a replay, I am not optimistic, as it seems like FIFA have been favoring France from the beginning with their decision to implement a seeding system. It really is a shame that such a great game was decided by cheating. No matter how you slice it, Henry clearly violated the rules, and it ended being the difference between the two teams. As angry as the whole situation has made me as a neutral observer, I can only imagine the bitterness and rage that the Irish feel right now, and I admire the Irish players for not going completely nuts when all of this happened.

With that, here's hoping that Sepp and company do the right thing and order a replay.