Nov 19 2009
Football: Ireland denied by The Hand of Frog
The Republic of Ireland were cruelly denied in their quest for World Cup qualification thanks to a not so helpful hand from France’s Thierry Henry.
Fans must have been thinking this was a game of handball rather than football as the former Arsenal man clearly controlled the ball with the palm of his hand — not once, but twice — before laying it off for William Gallas to head into Shay Given’s net.
It’s being hailed the ‘Hand of Frog’, the highest profile hand ball since Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ in Mexico 1986. Whereas on that occasion divine intervention gifted the Argentine striker a goal, this time it is a deity of a more amphibious nature that’s hitting the headlines.
I am the best footballer in the world, playing for the best international team in the world. Ireland are some pokey little team that can’t even find players from their own country to fill their starting XI, so I suppose this is the way God wanted it to be. — Thierry Henry
In this case, ‘God’ is fellow Frenchman Michel Platini, who, some claim, momentarily paralysed all officials the precise moment the offence occurred, rendering them unable to award the correct decision.
It was a dubious decision from the referee, no doubt, but in the end the biggest and most supported team won, which is all that matters. All my hard work fixing the playoffs worked out alright in the end. — Michel Platini, denying all allegations of favouring small teams
Platini’s controversial decision to seed the eight-team European qualification playoffs meant that Ireland, as the smaller footballing nation, were always up against it. One momentary lapse of concentration on the part of the officials, at a point so crucial to the match’s outcome, simply made the task nigh on impossible.
Ireland had fifteen minutes of extra time to find a goal which would send them through on away goals, but a French resistance ensured their backline would not be breached.
I learned all my timewasting tactics from Didier Drogba. I owe it all to him. And forty cigarettes a day - thanks, Benson and Hedges! [Smiles, light reflects off teeth] — Thierry Henry
WOW I think Flashforward has come to life! At that exact moment I think every ref in the world blacked out for 5 seconds, thus missing the incident!!
It was part of a secret documentary on mind control that’ll only appear on our TV screens in the year 2020, when we’ll all say “what was all that about?”