Morning Brew: FIFA not handling situation

Column photo

By Joel Petterson

Monday, November 23, 2009

Thierry Henry, one of the best soccer players in France’s history, became the most hated man in the Republic of Ireland last week. Most of the sports world isn’t too happy with him, either.

After two playoff matches to decide who would earn a spot in the 2010 World Cup, France and Ireland had to go to overtime to settle a 1-1 deadlock. In that overtime, Henry blatantly played the ball with his left hand to set up a goal that sent France to the biggest sporting event in the world and gave the entire nation of Ireland a kick in the collective gut.

In Henry’s defense, it was an intense situation and he made a split-second instinctive reaction to a ball bouncing in front of him. Probably 95 percent of athletes in his situation would have done the same thing. But handing the ball is a pretty big no-no in soccer, and this one was obvious. It seemed like everyone besides the four referees could see it.

Henry openly admitted his offense after the game. He knew it was unfair. Ireland certainly knew it was unfair. I knew it was unfair. My French friend, Jean, told me in broken English that it was unfair. However, despite Ireland’s appeals to FIFA for a replay of the match (which Henry himself supported), the result stood.

Sports is one part of our lives where we demand fairness. It’s the one arena where we can control fairness, at least on the field. It’s why we have referees, rulebooks and video replay — to make sure every touchdown, goal, three-pointer or fumble is earned.

That’s the most frustrating thing about Henry’s play. It was caught on at least half a dozen camera angles and replayed over and over. But FIFA refuses to use instant replay to help officiate soccer games. It has said that replay would disrupt the flow of the game and even ruin the “tradition” of controversial calls in soccer, according to a 2002 Associated Press story.

I can almost agree. Like most sports fans, I’ve been on either side of botched officiating jobs. During the 2008 NFL season, my favorite team (I won’t mention its name for fear of extreme prejudice, but it rhymes with Glenver Shmoncos) was on the fortunate end of referee Ed Hochuli’s most famous screw-up. His premature whistle on an obvious fumble by the Shmoncos gave them an undeserved victory over the San Diego Chargers. I knew it wasn’t fair, but it still felt good.

But I also know what it feels like to be on the Irish side. During the 2002 World Cup, I remember staying up all night to watch the United States fight for what would have been one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history against Germany in South Korea. In the second half, Torsten Frings of Germany stopped a shot on the goal line with his left hand, and Germany went on to win 1-0.

That game felt wrong, like someone had stolen all our Christmas presents and given them to a little German boy who already had three Christmas trees overflowing with presents. There was no vindication in the “tradition” of experiencing a horrible call.

Henry may have committed the handball in the first place, but FIFA is responsible for robbing Ireland of a chance at the world’s biggest tournament. Hopefully an entire island full of Irish rage will inspire FIFA to actually back up its slogan: “My Game is Fair Play.”

— Edited by Alicia Banister

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