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Ireland's Richard Dunne: We were cheated in World Cup Paris play-off

Thursday, 19 November 2009

Thierry Henry controls the ball with his hand during the build up to France's goal in Paris

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Republic of Ireland defender Richard Dunne was last night coming to terms with being "cheated" out of a place in next summer's World Cup finals.

Ireland lost a dramatic play-off 2-1 on aggregate in Paris as a result of William Gallas' extra-time goal.

However, the Irish players were furious that Swedish referee Martin Hansson had not spotted Thierry Henry's handball before he delivered the decisive 103rd-minute cross.

Dunne, who spoke to Henry on the final whistle, said: "He admitted afterwards he handled it, but it doesn't make me feel any better because we are not going to the World Cup finals.

"FIFA will probably be happy. Yet again the big decisions have gone for the bigger team.

"There has to be a case for matches of this importance for a fourth official to look at replays and get the calls right.

"We were cheated tonight."

Henry himself admitted he had handled the ball but laid responsibility for the goal being allowed at the door of referee Hansson.

"It was a handball, but I'm not the ref," he said on BBC Radio Five Live.

"The ball hit my arm, fell in front of me and I played it. The ref allowed it. That's a question you should ask him."

Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni was left to reflect upon the biggest disappointment of his career as his brave troops were left empty-handed.

Henry appeared to twice control the ball with his hand before crossing for Gallas to score and, although the Ireland players protested vehemently to Hansson, he was not about to change his mind.

Trapattoni said: "This is the biggest disappointment of my career.

"The referee had time to ask the linesman and then after to ask Henry.

"It would not have been the first time a player would have asked and it would not have been out of turn.

"I am upset for fair play. We talk many times about fair play, I go to schools and talk to young children about the importance of fair play, and this happens.

"I spoke to the referee and I told him I know many Swedish players and Swedish people, but he may have made a great mistake."

Robbie Keane fired the Republic ahead on the night 13 minutes before the break, finishing expertly from Damien Duff's pull-back.

But as they continued to create the better chances, both John O'Shea and Duff might have increased their lead in normal time.

However, an extra 30 minutes was needed to separate the sides, and Ireland's luck deserted them once again.

France coach Raymond Domenech admitted he was a relieved many after seeing Ireland push his team all the way on their one park.

He said: "I am sorry for Ireland and in a way disappointed they have gone out.

"We would love to have won by two or three goals, but it was not to be. We are just happy to be going to South Africa."

Comments

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483 Comments

Thierry Henry is a cheat & that's the end of it!

If this had happened to England or France it would be a different story all together! I'm not a believer in bringing technology into the game, but this is a totally differen't matter. This sort of blatent cheating would not happen in ANY other sport so why do we let it happen in football?? The least the FA should do is ban Thierry Henry from playing in this years World Cup & slap him with a large fine! Who cares if he is sorry? I know I don't & I know that the Irish definitely dont!

Posted by Lee Whitworth | 05.02.10, 09:28 GMT

"Belfast is in Northern Ireland- a region in the United Kingdom. deal with it."

Who denied this? Nevertheless, it's also located on the island known as IRELAND, while over 40 per cent of the region of NI considers themselves Irish like everyone else and supports the Irish soccer team.

No wonder you're bored mate, it would seem that you live in your own world entirely devoid of reality.

Posted by Dublin | 07.12.09, 11:33 GMT

For goodness sakes... when will the roi supporters finally get it into their heads that the refs decision is final. They aint going nowhere and their pleading to be the 33rd team and then wanting to settle for a trophy of some kind instead wont wash with fifa at all. Not everything in life is fair, remember maradonnas hand of god ... similar situation but same outcome.
Dry ya eyes lads...

Posted by bb | 04.12.09, 18:30 GMT

Belfast is in Northern Ireland- a region in the United Kingdom. deal with it. god you're boring Dublin.

Posted by bored | 04.12.09, 13:23 GMT

"To all you french who are posting here. For BELFAST Telegraph read NORTHERN IRELAND"

Apologies to all those French (and other international) posters for this neanderthal, as you can see, there are still a number of geographically illiterate people out there who don't realize that Belfast is in Ireland. They're the same kind of people who claim that Northern Ireland, a region that is under United Kingdom control, is in "Britain" (sic).

Ignorez-le, le pauvre con ne se rend pas compte que tout le monde se fout de sa gueule. Merci a vous tous pour votre soutien et bonne chance en 2010.

Posted by Dublin | 03.12.09, 16:11 GMT

To all you french who are posting here. For BELFAST Telegraph read NORTHERN IRELAND.

If RoI had qualified in the same manner there would have been no cry from the Southerners to replay the match

Posted by Gaz | 03.12.09, 15:20 GMT

So, all that mess means that, from now, Irish football players will never, never cheat again ? Just to prove that cheat is a French habit and that all Irishmen are spotless ? Wake up sons of James Joyce, it is time to forget your hangover...

Posted by Raskol, New Caledonia | 27.11.09, 10:26 GMT

With a tongue firmly in the cheek, I announced that I was never going on holiday to France ever again.

Hearing the comments from French people on here gives me a lot of respect for them. Well done guys and good luck in South Africa. I will probably be in a caravan in France!

Posted by Steve S | 25.11.09, 11:17 GMT

Bouic- "I have never seen a pro footballer tell the referee he has committed a foul..."

Robbie Fowler came close when he admitted that a tackle was not a penalty after the referee had awarded it. As I recall he was roundly vilified for his actions by many.

LS

Posted by Laura Sales | 23.11.09, 19:48 GMT

As an Irishman I´d like to say thank you to all those English people who have come out in support of ROI after this woeful treatment at the hands of FIFA and its cronies. I sincerely hope that France come up against England in the group stages and that England hammer them. Come on England!

Posted by robin | 23.11.09, 17:35 GMT

Very sorry for Henry's hand. We were ridiculous on the field and Henry made that act moreover. You know we have lost our identity in our country and the result is here today because of money and only money. You've got valors and honor. You fight with your football team and even it's hard too to live in Ireland i can say you it's worse in France today...

Posted by jj | 23.11.09, 10:24 GMT

what goes round comes round all you irish supporters laughed at maradonnas hand of god now same thing has happened to you . took a long time but now i,m laughin lmao

Posted by jim bennett | 23.11.09, 04:27 GMT

Longlife to Irish soccer. I'm French and so happy to read other French support lines to a replay match. We dont deserve to qualify this way. It's seems a majority of us Frogs want a fair replay. How can we put pressure for that?

Posted by jahan, Rennes | 22.11.09, 21:33 GMT

Ireland has had a tough time of it from us French. First of all our President refused to accept your "No" to the Lisbon Treaty (which his own citizens had also rejected). As a minnow-state you had to vote again until you said yes. Then FIFA decides to overule your clear victory in the qualification for the football World Cup. I'm afraid this is a taste of things to come. Inrernational federal institutions have been created over our heads to impose the will of BIG states over the tiddlers. Sounds like imperialism? Yes, but YOU voted for it! Don't say you were not warned.

Posted by Paul Henri Cadier | 22.11.09, 19:14 GMT

Hello ! I'm french.
I'm ashamed that France has been qualificated. Ireland had to go to World Wie Cup and not France.
Lots of French people agree to play the match again.
Fifa has to be ashamed f it and also the french fooball federation.
Irish players and irish public have been very fairplay. They must be proud of it !
alain

Posted by Guédon Alain , Laval | 21.11.09, 17:59 GMT

Hi everybody,

I'm French and don't think we are proud of this. Most of us feel ashamed by the behaviour of our team and their managers.
The French team has no coach and no tactics. Your team really deserves to win. I really want us to replay this game.
Football - especially French football - forgets its fundamental worths : respect, fair-play, honesty, courage. Nowaday, it's only a matter of grand. But what can we do to improve this ? We are so powerless. Maybe we should ask the FIFA to allow video reccording referring like in Rugby.
French football was bearable so far and with Henrys hand it's a shadow of its former self.
I can assure you a lot of French will support you for you to replay the match.
We really appreciate Irish people and hate the behaviour of our team. We really apologize.

Best regards

Vive l'équipe d'Irlande !!

Posted by Vivian Houzelot,. Lyon | 21.11.09, 14:21 GMT

say to Robbie Keane do you remenber irland georgie OK

Posted by pattfcn, paris | 21.11.09, 10:43 GMT

If the Thierry Henri goal had been rightly disallowed, that was not the end of the game. Penalty shoot out would have followed to decide the qualifier and there is no way to say that Eire would have qualified on penalties.
Let us say that the ref and assistants are the only ones to blame.
I have never seen a pro footballer tell the referee that he has committed a foul specially when it comes to diving, off-sides and ball handling. Thierry Henri has committed a fault which has not been sanctioned. That happens very often in all soccer matches.

Posted by Bouic, Poste de Flacq | 21.11.09, 08:06 GMT

Robbie Keane said that it was typical of the decisions that go in favour of what he said were the bigger football countries.

Robbie Keane ne doit pas se souvenir du match Irelande Georgie et du premier but Irlandais. La tricherie et la démagogie sont aujourd'hui la marque du football moderne. C'est triste mais révélateur de ce qu'est devenu le football.
La france ne méritait pas d'aller à la coupe du monde, soit. Mais à quand une réforme de l'arbitrage et la vidéo comme au rugby? C'est plutôt cette question qui devrait être posée. Avec la vidéo, le but de Gallas était invalidé, le pénalty de l'irlande contre la Géorgie n'aurait pas été sifflé non plus. Désolé pour l'équipe d'Irlande, vous méritiez sur ce match d'aller en afrique du sud, mais désolé aussi de lire des déclarations de joueurs qui retrouvent leur vertue lorsqu'ils sont lésés et oublient de parler lorsqu'un fait de jeu tourne en leur faveur. Triste football.

Posted by Eric | 21.11.09, 07:47 GMT

Henry is a disgrace to himself, to Barcelona and to France. He pontificates about fair play and racism. He and his coach have shamed football. You are in the same cheating league as Maradona. You will share his disgrace. Shame on you! I feel sorry for young kids who looked up to you. You are a role model for the cheat. I will be supporting England in the World Cup.

Posted by Henry Gibson | 21.11.09, 00:32 GMT