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REPUBLIC OF IRELAND GIVEN A HELPING HAND TO EURO 2012 PLAY-OFFS WITH THIERRY HENRY FORGOTTEN IF NOT FORGIVEN
By Steve Wilson
Daily Telegraph/UK
2:22PM BST 12 Oct 2011
The Republic of Ireland cried foul when Thierry Henry and a dubious
handball decision robbed them of a place at the 2010 World Cup. An
equally suspect refereeing decision gives them a helping hand to
the Euro 2012 play offs and it's put down to karma and the luck of
the Irish.
No word yet from Tigran Sargsyan, then. Armen Gevorgyan, too, has
been oddly quiet. The Armenian Prime Minister and his deputy have so
far kept their counsel.
But it can only be a matter of time before one or both of them publicly
raises with Uefa the need for technology in football to guard against
errors from officials. Or lobbies European football's governing body
and the Irish FA for a replay of last night's euro 2012 qualifier at
the Aviva Stadium.
If they don't get around to it then they're missing a trick. Irish
football values fair play and so would undoubtedly acquiesce.
We know this as fact because back in November 2009 Sargsyan's
counterpart in the Republic, Brian Cowen, led the chorus of politicians
unequivocally condemning Thierry Henry's gamesmanship and sleight
of hand.
The Frenchman, for those with short memories, blatantly controlled
the ball, not once but twice, in setting up an extra time winner in
a play-off in Paris that booked the French a place at last year's
World Cup at Ireland's expense.
Related Articles Rep of Ireland 2 Armenia 1 11 Oct 2011 Spain
3 Scotland 1 11 Oct 2011 Italy 3 Northern Ireland 0 11 Oct 2011
Bulgaria 0 Wales 1 11 Oct 2011 Nasri rescues edgy France 12 Oct
2011 Ireland look for play-off spot 11 Oct 2011 Fans of karma would
have enjoyed the public implosion of Raymond Domenech's team at that
tournament. Though believers in the theory of what goes around comes
around had their own satisfaction yesterday evening. As long as they
were Irish, and not Armenian, of course.
With the game goalless, Simon Cox controlled a flighted through
ball with his arm before attempting to lob Armenia goalkeeper Roman
Berezovsky. He failed, largely because Berezovsky was right in front
of him, having run well out of his area. The goalkeeper blocked with
a combination of chest and arm pit but was wrongly judged to have
handled and was promptly sent off, the look of bemusement on his face
the definition for the tragicomic.
Armenia needed victory to pip Ireland to a play-off spot but the
game, with Ireland already on top before the sending off, became
one-sided after and the Irish ran out narrow 2-1 winners. They go in
to tomorrow's draw, seeded, while Armenia are left to rue the luck
of the Irish.
"It just came over my shoulder and I tried to control it," Cox said,
doing nothing to dispel the notion of the illegal use of an arm. Cox
admitted the Armenia goalkeeper was blameless before observing:
"Some you get, some you don't."
What a difference two years make.
"If that result remains, it reinforces the view that if you cheat,
you will win," railed Ireland's incensed justice minister, Dermot
Ahern, of the Paris fixture. "We should put the powers that be in
the cosy world of Fifa on the spot and demand a replay."
Mary Coughlan, then deputy prime minister, also joined calls in the
Irish parliament for world football's governing body to "vigorously
pursue the use of video referees"
In the BBC studios last night Gary Lineker and Alex McLeish shared a
joke or two about the whole thing. "The Irish probably deserved that,
didn't they Alex?" asked Lineker, the answer implicit in the tone.
"Yeah," chuckled McLeish, who will no doubt laugh off Shay Given being
given his marching orders for a similarly blameless act this weekend.
Henry's offence was of course more blatant, more premeditated and more
decisive in terms of the result. The Irish were the beneficiaries of
a poor refereeing decision, rather than their own mischief. They did
not cheat. Though Armenia were cheated.
The comparison is not a direct one. But it remains a lesson
in football's ability to make easy fools of bandwagon jumping
malcontents. It is a lesson most fans, blinded by their partisan
affiliations, will forever be resistant to learning.
Treating the duel imposers of refereeing injustices for and against
may be the mark of a well rounded man. Football fans' permanent state
of arrested development, however, will forever mitigate against this
fanciful and bastardised notion of Kipling.
By Steve Wilson
Daily Telegraph/UK
2:22PM BST 12 Oct 2011
The Republic of Ireland cried foul when Thierry Henry and a dubious
handball decision robbed them of a place at the 2010 World Cup. An
equally suspect refereeing decision gives them a helping hand to
the Euro 2012 play offs and it's put down to karma and the luck of
the Irish.
No word yet from Tigran Sargsyan, then. Armen Gevorgyan, too, has
been oddly quiet. The Armenian Prime Minister and his deputy have so
far kept their counsel.
But it can only be a matter of time before one or both of them publicly
raises with Uefa the need for technology in football to guard against
errors from officials. Or lobbies European football's governing body
and the Irish FA for a replay of last night's euro 2012 qualifier at
the Aviva Stadium.
If they don't get around to it then they're missing a trick. Irish
football values fair play and so would undoubtedly acquiesce.
We know this as fact because back in November 2009 Sargsyan's
counterpart in the Republic, Brian Cowen, led the chorus of politicians
unequivocally condemning Thierry Henry's gamesmanship and sleight
of hand.
The Frenchman, for those with short memories, blatantly controlled
the ball, not once but twice, in setting up an extra time winner in
a play-off in Paris that booked the French a place at last year's
World Cup at Ireland's expense.
Related Articles Rep of Ireland 2 Armenia 1 11 Oct 2011 Spain
3 Scotland 1 11 Oct 2011 Italy 3 Northern Ireland 0 11 Oct 2011
Bulgaria 0 Wales 1 11 Oct 2011 Nasri rescues edgy France 12 Oct
2011 Ireland look for play-off spot 11 Oct 2011 Fans of karma would
have enjoyed the public implosion of Raymond Domenech's team at that
tournament. Though believers in the theory of what goes around comes
around had their own satisfaction yesterday evening. As long as they
were Irish, and not Armenian, of course.
With the game goalless, Simon Cox controlled a flighted through
ball with his arm before attempting to lob Armenia goalkeeper Roman
Berezovsky. He failed, largely because Berezovsky was right in front
of him, having run well out of his area. The goalkeeper blocked with
a combination of chest and arm pit but was wrongly judged to have
handled and was promptly sent off, the look of bemusement on his face
the definition for the tragicomic.
Armenia needed victory to pip Ireland to a play-off spot but the
game, with Ireland already on top before the sending off, became
one-sided after and the Irish ran out narrow 2-1 winners. They go in
to tomorrow's draw, seeded, while Armenia are left to rue the luck
of the Irish.
"It just came over my shoulder and I tried to control it," Cox said,
doing nothing to dispel the notion of the illegal use of an arm. Cox
admitted the Armenia goalkeeper was blameless before observing:
"Some you get, some you don't."
What a difference two years make.
"If that result remains, it reinforces the view that if you cheat,
you will win," railed Ireland's incensed justice minister, Dermot
Ahern, of the Paris fixture. "We should put the powers that be in
the cosy world of Fifa on the spot and demand a replay."
Mary Coughlan, then deputy prime minister, also joined calls in the
Irish parliament for world football's governing body to "vigorously
pursue the use of video referees"
In the BBC studios last night Gary Lineker and Alex McLeish shared a
joke or two about the whole thing. "The Irish probably deserved that,
didn't they Alex?" asked Lineker, the answer implicit in the tone.
"Yeah," chuckled McLeish, who will no doubt laugh off Shay Given being
given his marching orders for a similarly blameless act this weekend.
Henry's offence was of course more blatant, more premeditated and more
decisive in terms of the result. The Irish were the beneficiaries of
a poor refereeing decision, rather than their own mischief. They did
not cheat. Though Armenia were cheated.
The comparison is not a direct one. But it remains a lesson
in football's ability to make easy fools of bandwagon jumping
malcontents. It is a lesson most fans, blinded by their partisan
affiliations, will forever be resistant to learning.
Treating the duel imposers of refereeing injustices for and against
may be the mark of a well rounded man. Football fans' permanent state
of arrested development, however, will forever mitigate against this
fanciful and bastardised notion of Kipling.