On the face of it it looks pretty unfair on the plucky Irish football team. After a lot of grunt and hard work to put get themselves back on level terms with a strong, if under-achieving France side, they finally fall foul of to “the hand of frog”.
And rightly so, they are angry. I mean, I would be. That really is no way to bow out of the most prestigious competition in the sport.
Calls for a replay have been ringing in the ears of Fifa officials ever since. Even the great man himself (king Henry) is holding his hands up to this one.
But rightly so, France have refused.
Rightly so not because of some undying determination to get one over the Irish. Not because of an unwavering desire to do the dirty, and most certainly not because they wish to taint their presence in South Africa next year.
France have no obligation to make sure the ref has a good game. They are charged with one aim only, to win the game.
As Roy Keane quite rightly told his pre match press conference yesterday, Ireland have bigger things to complain about than the referee. Where were the defenders? Where was the goal keeper? How can the ball bounce in your six yard box? These are the questions they should be asking themselves. Control the controllable.
Yes, it was a foul, yes, the goal should not have stood, but, in equal measure it is not up to France to decide what is allowed and what isn’t. Would the same requests be put in if Ireland had been fouled at the other end of the pitch during the build up? No. At least, not with any real effort.
It is moments like Henry’s hand ball that make football. We may not think it at the time, we may not even acknowledge it for many years, but without the controversy, without the talking points and without the complaints football, in fact sport as a whole would be a boring, one-dimensional dullard.
Controversy makes sport the emotional rollercoaster it is. The real-life soap opera each and every one of us is part of.
We’d be lost without it.
