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Thursday, November 19, 2009

France Gets "Handed" the Win

The final qualifying games last night for the 2010 World Cup brought victory for some teams, and controversy for another. After an intense battle, the score remained 1-1 as France and Ireland competed in overtime, for the chance to play this summer in South Africa. As the game looked like it was progressing to end in penalty kicks, a long pass was sent to Thierry Henry who stopped the ball with his left hand, then tapped it over to William Gallas for the game-winning header.

Needless to say, Ireland fans, players, and coaches were baffled when no penalty was called against France for the handball. Unlike other professional sports, soccer does not allow the use of video replay, and must rely on referees to see what is happening at all time. This rule was unfortunate for Ireland who, as a result, will not advance to next year's tournament.

In interviews following the game, Henry admitted to the handball, but claimed it was the fault of the referees for not making the call. Should they have listened to Ireland's plea and dismissed the goal? Should video equipment be introduced into the game? Let us know what you think.

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1 comments:

Anonymous said...

I’d mark the globe of to glimpse that too!