France rejects Ireland plea to replay World Cup qualifying match

The French football federation (FFF) has rejected Ireland’s request to make a joint appeal to Fifa for a replay of their contentious World Cup play-off match.
Despite high-profile support for a restaged tie, with Arsène Wenger and Thierry Henry advocating a return match yesterday, the FFF said that while it “understands the disappointment and bitterness of the Irish players”, the decision of the world governing body is final.
“Fifa is the ruler of the game and we have to abide by what they say,” a spokesman said. “What they decide, we have to do. They have ruled it will not be replayed. We should move on.”
Wenger believes that the FFF should have helped to cleanse Henry’s tainted image by sanctioning a replay after the former Arsenal striker’s handball had led to the decisive goal in Paris on Wednesday night.

“The federation should do that,” the Arsenal manager, who helped to turn Henry into a global superstar, said. “Thierry has done so much for French football that the federation has to help him. I think the credibility of France going to the World Cup is dependent on that.”
Henry had earlier defended himself, calling the handball an “instinctive reaction”. He admitted embarrassment and said that a replay would be the “fairest solution”, but fell short of fully apologising for what many fans have viewed as blatant cheating.
In a carefully worded statement, Henry expressed sorrow for the Ireland players and supporters at the manner of France’s qualification. However, he denied that he had deliberately deceived Martin Hansson, the referee, and his fellow Swedish officials.
“Naturally, I feel embarrassed at the way that we [went through] and feel extremely sorry for the Irish, who definitely deserve to be in South Africa,” Henry said. “There is little more I can do apart from admit that the ball had contact with my hand leading up to our equalising goal and I feel very sorry for the Irish.
“I said at the time and I will say again, yes, I handled the ball. I am not a cheat and never have been. It was an instinctive reaction to a ball that was coming extremely fast in a crowded penalty area.
“As a footballer, you do not have the luxury of the television to slow the pace of the ball down 100 times to be able to make a conscious decision. If people look at it in full speed, you will see that it was an instinctive reaction.
“I have never denied that the ball was controlled with my hand. I told the Irish players, the referee and the media this after the game.”
Wenger said that his former captain, now with Barcelona, should offer a full apology. “Yes, he should,” the Arsenal manager said. “He should say, ‘Yes, I made a mistake, that’s it.’
“He is not a guy who wants to be petty, he wants to be classy. He can come out and say, ‘Yes, that’s not me, that is not how I want to play.’ ”
Like his federation, Raymond Domenech, the France coach, was in no mood for compromise. “On the pitch, I didn’t see the handball. I have since looked at the footage and it is indeed a refereeing mistake,” he said yesterday. “For me, it’s a game incident and not cheating. Therefore, I don’t see why we are asked to apologise.”
Domenech’s view is perhaps not entirely unconnected with the fact that he will receive a reported €862,000 (about £770,000) bonus for leading his team to South Africa.
Hansson broke his silence yesterday. “I cannot comment on the game itself, but life must go on,” the referee said. “I think I will survive this storm.” He still hopes to make the elite group of officials who will go to the final.
Cantona in attack on France coach
Eric Cantona waded into the Thierry Henry controversy yesterday by launching a stinging attack on the striker and Raymond Domenech, the France coach.
“What shocked me most wasn’t the handball,” the former Manchester United and France forward said. It “was that at the end of the match, in front of the TV cameras, this player [Henry] went and sat down next to an Irish player to console him, even though he’d screwed them three minutes earlier. If I’d been Irish, he wouldn’t have lasted three seconds.”
Cantona described Domenech as “the worst coach in French football since Louis XVI”. He said: “If it was up to me, I’d put Laurent Blanc [the Bordeaux coach] in charge.”