Thierry Henry and Michel Barnier: French bêtes noirs in the British press

French football captain Thierry Henry’s handball led to William Gallas’s goal in the decisive play off against Ireland for World Cup qualification… and now the chickens might be coming home to roost. “Cheat Henry could face FIFA ban,” reads the headline in British tabloid, The Sun.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said: "The disciplinary committee will open a case on the behaviour of Henry.

"It was a blatant unfair playing and was shown all around the world but I don't know what the outcome will be."

If Henry is punished he could miss the start of the World Cup in South Africa.

There is even more vitriol aimed at France’s Michel Barnier, the new EU Internal Market Commissioner.

The Daily Mail calls Barnier’s nomination “Le grand stitch-up” and slams Labour’s “shameful deal to hand control of city to the French [which] will cost us dear.”

“The City is a source of profit, prosperity and employment for thousands of people in Britain and it enriches the country, says the Daily Mail.”

The paper goes on to accuse France and Germany of trying to use the EU to strip the UK financial service’s industry of its competitive edge.

“The appointment of Frenchman Michel Barnier – an arrogant and over-confident man even by Gallic standards – as European Commissioner for the Internal Market – is nothing short of a disaster for the British economy, jobs and wealth creation.”

“The brutal truth is – as French President Nicolas Sarkozy boasted this week – is that the City of London is now squarely under European control.”

Sarkozy did indeed make a speech earlier this week in Seyne-sur-Mer during which he presented Barnier’s nomination as a victory over the Anglo-Saxon financial model. However, the Daily Mail’s reading of events is exaggerated as the City of London has negotiated significant freedoms from EU regulation.

Other stories in this morning’s international papers:

The Wall Street Journal
New US plan gets low grade from Afghans

Der Tagesspiegel
Germany puts off Obama
A front page opinion piece says Germany should send extra troops to Afghanistan.

“Obama asked the allies for a relatively moderate increase in their quotas. This request must be fulfilled.”

The New York Times
Susan Boyle, Top Seller, Shakes Up CD Trends