Irish national football team midfielder Liam Lawrence (L), goalkeeper Given (3dR) and defender Paul Mc Shane shout to Swedish referee Martin Hansson (C) as French defender Sebastien Squillaci (R) jubilates after the goal by French defender William Gallas during the World Cup 2010 qualifying football match France vs. Republic of Ireland on November 18, 2009 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, northern Paris. Superstar Thierry Henry was at the center of a sensational cheating storm as France reached the World Cup finals along with Portugal, Greece and Slovenia. France, the 1998 champions and 2006 runners-up, drew 1-1 with Ireland at the Stade de France in the second leg of their play-off for a 2-1 aggregate win. But the extra-time triumph came in controversial circumstances when French skipper Henry appeared to control the ball with his hand before his angled pass allowed Gallas to head in the crucial 103rd-minute goal. (Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images)

The Irish object. (Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images)

By Mark Memmott

Imagine if the Pittsburgh Steelers' Franco Harris had admitted the ball really did touch the ground on his "immaculate reception."

Too dated a reference?

What if baseball's Yankees' Mariano Rivera had said "yeah, that was a spitball"? (Just to be clear, he did not say that.)

There's an even bigger story in sports today, at least for fans of the world's most popular game.

French coach Raymond Domenech (L) speaks with French forward Thierry Henry at the end during the World Cup 2010 qualifying football match France vs. Republic of Ireland on November 18, 2009 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, northern Paris.(Lionel Bonventure/AFP/Getty Images)

Henry and his coach confer. (Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images)

French soccer ... er, football ... player Thierry Henry "has admitted handling a ball before a crucial goal that sent his team to the World Cup at the expense of Ireland." Henry's touch, by the way, is known now as "the Hand of Gaul" -- a nice homage to the "Hand of God" score by Argentina's Diego Maradona during the 1986 World Cup quarter final against England. Henry didn't score the French goal in Wednesday's match 1-1, but one of his teammates did soon after. The Irish argue that play should have stopped when Henry's hand touched the ball.

Now the Irish want a rematch: "The Football Association of Ireland has called on FIFA (soccer's ruling body) to replay last night's World Cup play-off after Thierry Henry's handball denied the Republic of Ireland a place in the finals," The Irish Times reports.

What should happen?

Update at 6:55 a.m. ET, Nov. 20. There will be no rematch, FIFA has ruled. The AP reports that:

"In the reply, FIFA states that the result of the match cannot be changed and the match cannot be replayed," FIFA said in a statement. "As is clearly mentioned in the Laws of the Game, during matches, decisions are taken by the referee and these decisions are final."

categories: Sports

11:50 - November 19, 2009

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