On Tuesday the Irish FA embarrassed themselves in front of the world by requesting a place at the World Cup as a 33rd team. They manage to successfully undermine all the sympathy people had for them.
Henry’s handball was not the first, and certainly won’t be the last, act of cheating that decides an important game. Cheating is as old as the hills and it will continue to go on while people are able get away with it. To ask for a replay was ridiculous enough without asking for an extra place at the World Cup. A fact people seem to forget is had France’s goal not stood, Ireland still wouldn’t have gone to the World Cup. They still would have had to score another goal away in France or outwit them in a penalty shoot out.
If I remember rightly England were knocked out of Euro 2004 by suspect refereeing, maybe we should see if we could get a replay or better still a post humous bye into the semi finals. I can’t speak negatively enough about the bollocks that has spewed out of IFA in the last two weeks. Shit refereeing and cheating is the cum stain on football but cheating is like sex with Kobe Bryant; you can scream all you want but it’s going to happen. I hate cheating but its part of the game now and if you can’t beat them, join them; Ireland would be sitting very smuggly if Robbie Keane had committed the same offence with the same result.
The only answer is video refereeing in an instance where a goal is debated, black and white. If a team score and it is hard to tell if it has gone over the line, check the video, it will only take a second. I’m not saying we should do it for every decision but for every time a questionable goal is scored, i.e. not for petty offsides.
Any Irishman would have done what Henry did and if they say they wouldn’t, they’re lying. If FIFA spent all their time atoning for refereeing errors, they would do nothing else. Not they actually do anything of course.
RSS this blog
THE Football Comment Blog 
Would the Irish FA stop whingeing
On Tuesday the Irish FA embarrassed themselves in front of the world by requesting a place at the World Cup as a 33rd team. They manage to successfully undermine all the sympathy people had for them.
Henry’s handball was not the first, and certainly won’t be the last, act of cheating that decides an important game. Cheating is as old as the hills and it will continue to go on while people are able get away with it. To ask for a replay was ridiculous enough without asking for an extra place at the World Cup. A fact people seem to forget is had France’s goal not stood, Ireland still wouldn’t have gone to the World Cup. They still would have had to score another goal away in France or outwit them in a penalty shoot out.
If I remember rightly England were knocked out of Euro 2004 by suspect refereeing, maybe we should see if we could get a replay or better still a post humous bye into the semi finals. I can’t speak negatively enough about the bollocks that has spewed out of IFA in the last two weeks. Shit refereeing and cheating is the cum stain on football but cheating is like sex with Kobe Bryant; you can scream all you want but it’s going to happen. I hate cheating but its part of the game now and if you can’t beat them, join them; Ireland would be sitting very smuggly if Robbie Keane had committed the same offence with the same result.
The only answer is video refereeing in an instance where a goal is debated, black and white. If a team score and it is hard to tell if it has gone over the line, check the video, it will only take a second. I’m not saying we should do it for every decision but for every time a questionable goal is scored, i.e. not for petty offsides.
Any Irishman would have done what Henry did and if they say they wouldn’t, they’re lying. If FIFA spent all their time atoning for refereeing errors, they would do nothing else. Not they actually do anything of course.
Share this:
Related