Shay Given has spoken for the first time about The France v Ireland World Cup play-off game and called the result and referee decision an 'injustice'.
Speaking to the Daily Mail Given said ‘Had the tables been turned and it’d happened to France I’d love to have seen the outcome. That’s an interesting question to ask with Michel Platini being the head of UEFA and Sepp Blatter up there. You’d love to know the outcome then, eh?’
Given is as unimpressed by Blatter as he is by Swedish referee Martin Hansson. The Donegal man is a phlegmatic character but this is a situation you feel he will never be able to relax about.
‘I still feel angry about the whole thing,’ he said. ‘All the stuff from FIFA and Sepp Blatter — just rubbish. A couple of days ago Blatter said he’d spoken to Henry and how it wasn’t his fault, it was the referee’s. A couple of days on and FIFA say they’re going to look into Henry.
‘Blatter didn’t have the decency to ring up our captain, Robbie Keane, and say, “I’m really sorry”. Blatter’s saying, “Oh, I’ve just spoken to Thierry and it’s all OK”. All the Irish players are sitting thinking, “Oh, well done, brilliant. Just rub more salt in the wound, why don’t you?”
'I can’t get over it, I’ve had so many sleepless nights just thinking about it. And they show it on TV 20 times a day so it’s hard to forget. I know we’ve to move on but then we’ll get it again next year when the World Cup’s on. It just beggars belief.
‘The officials have said since it wasn’t their fault. What can you say? It’s all a load of b*******. And all that rabbiting on from Blatter? That’s b******* as well.
‘It’s hard to explain, even now to you. My sister says she’s not slept. Everyone is really hurt by it all. They say it’s only a game of football but it’s more than that with something like this.’
Fifa president Sepp Blatter has revealed that he telephoned France captain Thierry Henry to offer him support over his controversial handball in the World Cup play-off win over Ireland.
"I called Thierry, because he tried to get in touch with me," Blatter told French newspaper L'Equipe.
"He was honest by admitting that he did use his hand, but it wasn't his responsibility to tell the referee.
"When I was a centre forward in my junior team, I definitely gained an advantage by pulling a defender's jersey in order to score a goal. And I didn't go and see the referee to tell him about it."
Blatter's remarks are incredible as he seems to be condoning cheating within the game & it certainly makes a mockery of FIFA's Fair Play code.
To quote Blatter prior to the start of the World Cup qualifying campaign - 'Fair play should come before anything else ... These qualifying matches must epitomise fair play. They should encapsulate the sporting, moral and ethical principles for which Fifa has always stood. And they must leave a lasting impression!".
Blatter's words sound very hollow considering he has basically said that cheating is fine as long as you don't get caught.
Its difficult to see how he can support Fair Play within the game on the one hand and on the other, ring the perpetrator of the cheating to console him and offer him his support.
Article one of the FIFA fair play code reads as follows : "Winning is without value if victory has been achieved unfairly or dishonestly. Cheating is easy, but brings no pleasure. Playing fair requires courage and character. It is also more satisfying. Fair play always has its reward, even when the game is lost. Playing fair earns respect, while cheating only brings shame. Remember: it is only a game. And games are pointless unless played fairly."
The Fifa president had previously refused to comment on the incident, prompting criticism from Football Association of Ireland (FAI) chief executive John Delaney.
France's play-off with Ireland was poised at 1-1 on aggregate in the second leg in Paris when Henry controlled the ball with his hand twice before teeing up William Gallas for the decisive goal,the linesman had a clear view of the Henry handball yet for some reason failed to make any signal to the referree about the act of blatant cheating by the French forward. The cheating incident sparked furious protests from the Irish players that were taken up by the Irish government. The revelation that Blatter personally contacted Henry follows soon after the announcement by UEFA boss Michel Platini that the play-off's for the next European Qualifying Championships will be weighted heavily in favour of the bigger nations, with the play-off draw being seeded and the teams offered the chance to play the second leg at home.
Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni has vented his fury at FIFA in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
'I would like to know what have I done to (Sepp) Blatter,' Trapattoni said. 'If he explains it to me at least I would be calm.
'I often go to schools and speak of fair play. Perhaps I am a dreamer. FIFA has violated the rules imposing top seeded teams in the play-offs. It's treachery.
'I think even (UEFA president Michel) Platini was against this revolution.'
Trapattoni continues to play Wednesday's events over and over in his mind.
'There's this double handball from Henry on Gallas' goal and on top of that (Sebastien) Squillaci was offside,' Trapattoni said.
'It's murder.
'Even a blind man would have seen the double handball by Henry. The linesman was on line as the images show and he had perfect vision.
'I am certain that Mr Hansson (the referee) was in contact with the fourth official and to those who were looking at the images in slow motion.
'Why, when he understood that he had made a mistake, did he not change his mind? I think the time has come to have tv replays for these extreme cases. In 30 seconds you avoid colossal errors.'
Trapattoni had harsh words for the referee. 'FIFA has done a great job,' he said. 'For France v Ireland, you needed a top referee, instead they have sent a Hansson nobody.'
The Football Association of Ireland today (November 19) confirmed that it will lodge a complaint with FIFA, following last night's World Cup play-off match between France and the Republic of Ireland in Paris.
Conclusive video evidence of a deliberate hand ball by Thierry Henry, which led to France's additional time goal, has been seen by millions of football fans worldwide. The blatantly incorrect decision by the referee to award the goal has damaged the integrity of the sport and we now call on FIFA, as the world governing body for our sport, to organise for this match to be replayed. The hand ball, was recognised the FIFA commissioner, the referee observer and the match officials, as well as by the player himself.
There is precedent for the invalidation of such results. In 2005, the Bureau of the FIFA World Cup organising committee reached a decision to invalidate the result of a World Cup qualification match between Uzbekistan and Bahrain on the basis of a ‘technical error by the referee of the match'. The Football Association of Ireland is hoping that FIFA and its Disciplinary Committee will, on behalf of football fans world-wide, act in a similar fashion so that the standards of fair play and integrity can be protected.
Shay Given has spoken for the first time about The France v Ireland World Cup play-off game and called the result and referee decision an 'injustice'.
