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Latest update: 19/11/2009
- 2010 FIFA World Cup - football - France - Ireland
Irish PM backs football association's demand for replay of France-Ireland match
Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen backed calls by the Football Association of Ireland for football's governing body FIFA to order a replay of Wednesday's controversial World Cup qualifier between France and Ireland.
REUTERS - Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen on Thursday called on FIFA to order a World Cup qualifying re-match with France, saying he would raise the issue with President Nicolas Sarkozy at a Brussels summit.
Video replays showed striker Thierry Henry used his hand in the build-up to a William Gallas goal that sent France to next summer's World Cup finals in South Africa, and asked if he backed the Football Association of Ireland's call for a re-match, Cowen said: "Yes, I do.
"Our minister of sport will write to FIFA in support of that complaint and look for a re-match," he said on arrival at a summit of European Union leaders in Brussels.
Cowen said that he and Sarkozy "will probably have a chat about it away from the table," but added that he wanted football's authorities to resolve the row "making sure that fair play is upheld here."
"I am not going to raise it to that high diplomatic status -- I just want to see it dealt with on the basis of the regulatory bodies of football."
Cowen said that "fair play is a fundamental part of the game and I think that the official complaint (the FAI) lodged will be suported by us."
However, he also paid tribute to the French footballing public's outpouring of sympathy -- turning on their own team.
He said they had been "making it clear in great numbers that there is a lot of disquiet about the manner of the goal."
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Comments (10)
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Brian Cowen is the Taoiseach("Cheiftain"), not the Prime Minister.
we should get a replay
we should get a replay its not fair and the french would appeal the game and would 100% get a replay if it was us who handled the ball!!....this is discrimination because we are a small country and arent as rich as the french...it was so clear we have been set up and im not suprized if the french people paid a big sum of money to the refree nd his linesmen...it was so clear that the ball had been handled twice also two french players were also off side!!i dont see how they can get away with this??i actually dont like soccer but i watch all the irish matches and support them 100%....we should fight harder for this replay we have to get it and we cant give up until we get it!!
henry is a cheat and a liar
henry is a cheat and a liar end of.
I hope that the Irish
I hope that the Irish Taoiseach can get us a rematch
France should not be allowed in the world cup
If France wants to do the thing right. It should step aside and not play the world cup.
Fair Play
Why do FIFA insist on Fair Play in sport when they can allow the French to cheat there way to South Africa? Fair Play is a joke as are FIFA. I hope France so as well as they did the last World Cup....Cheats
silence of the FIFA
The silence of the FIFA in-relation to the clear handball incident is a pure indication that France has cheated their way in the world cup and also the history books
Failure to recognize this injustice has had a negative results in Ireland, Europe and the world. Both Thierry Henry and the FIFA reputation have been tarnished. 18/Nov/09 (for me the day soccer died)
cheats
what a shambles to watch at least dick turpin wore a mask when he robbed people game should be replayed no it must be replayed as fair play must be seen to be done at all times and video should be used like in most sports come on fifa get wirh the times now???
French Football
For Ireland, in defeat there is no dishonour. For France, in victory there is no honour.
Fifa hypocrisy and fair play
Dear Sir,
I believe Thierry Henry (as an Arsenal fan one of my heroes)has tarnished his reputation forever. I would have expected a man of his integrity to show leadership and tell the referee he had handled. That would have been the act of a true Leader. Alas his crocodile tears at the final whistle and his weak attempts to pass the buck to the Referee only made things worse. The actions of a coward, not a real man. Shame on you Thierry, shame on France. Redeem your reputations and do the only honourable thing left - offer to replay the match. Even if this will not be permitted by the "Fair Play" hypocrites from Fifa, it will go some way to restore the reputations of Henry and France, and will restore some faith in justice and Fair Play.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Delany, Ireland.
French team/FIFA is tarnished
The game of soccer, the World Cup, and in particular this French national team will be TARNISHED in the eyes of soccer fans worldwide unless a fair contest, i.e. at a neutral venue, is held to decide which team goes through to the World Cup.
In the original video (which French media giant Lagardère/SportFive demanded be immediately pulled from YouTube; what a disgrace) the double offside, and deliberate double hand ball is blatantly obvious. FIFA needs to do the right thing.
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