Tumultuous few days for Irish fans
A week might be a long time in politics and it seems the observation also holds true for soccer.
From the lows of last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat by the French at home in Croke Park to the highs of reversing that scoreline in 90 minutes last Wednesday night at the Stade de France and back again in the extra-time period, it was a tumultuous few days for Irish soccer fans.
Bizarrely, the varying fortunes of Giovanni Trapattoni’s team also seemed to mirror the story of Ireland’s economy over the past two decades.
However, Wednesday’s showdown in Paris will forever be etched in the memory of Irish football supporters as Robbie Keane and his men found themselves embroiled at the wrong end of the second most infamous handball in the history of world football.
The controversy has become a global phenomenon with the internet awash with messages of support for Ireland and calls for the introduction of video referees.
For his part, French striker Thierry Henry has seen his reputation as one of the world’s leading goal scorers eclipsed by his role in the controversy.
As a consequence, Henry’s “va-va-voom” has dissipated as the Barcelona star knows his career will now forever be most associated with the incident that earned him the title, “The Thief of St Denis “(or the more simple, less prosaic “cheat”), while his decisive contribution has been labelled “The Hand of Gaul.”
One suspects he might not share the sense of humour behind the invitation issued to him to attend the World Handball Championship in Ireland in 2012.
The former Arsenal striker might be the new “bête noire” of the Irish sporting public but he offered atonement to the Green Army yesterday by claiming a replay would be “the fairest solution”.
While his comments were readily grasped by anyone with Irish ancestry as holding out a brief hope of a trip to the veldt in 2010, the unwavering opposition of both FIFA and the French Football Federation to the notion of a replay has effectively brought an end to the matter.
Not that it has stopped every celebrity in the list of A-Z throwing in their observations on the topic du jour, including businessman Denis O’Brien, who part-funds Trapattoni’s salary, and French celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli.
From his base in Ipswich, former Irish soccer captain Roy Keane entered the controversy delivering a typical Suffolk punch to his old adversaries in the FAI.
Still simmering after Saipan, Keano was unsympathetic about the FAI’s plight and used the occasion to settle old scores – a replay of sorts.
“They can complain all they want but France are going to the World Cup. Get over it. France were there for the taking and Ireland didn’t do it. Same old story,” said Keane who argued that the Irish team was the poorer side over both legs.
Meanwhile, politicians have showed varying degrees of eagerness to enter the affray when pressed by baying media packs who can sport a story with legs from a mile off. Both Taoiseach Brian Cowen and French President Nicolas Sarkozy wisely kicked to touch by suggesting they should not interfere in sporting matters, although Justice Minister Dermot Ahern and French cabinet member Christine Lagarde were less circumspect, claiming FIFA should order the match to be replayed to send out a clear message to cheats.
However, the Zurich-based organisation is not for turning – giving credence to the conspiracy theorists who argue that FIFA got the result they always wanted with a French victory.
Ironically, FIFA themselves admit on their website that the organisation’s Fair Play initiative, which is actively promoted at all major international and club matches, was conceived largely as an indirect result of the controversy that arose during Maradonna’s Hand of God goal against England in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
It further states that the campaign has the unconditional support of FIFA president Sepp Blatter. Certainly, most Irish people could be persuaded that FIFA is an abbreviation for Fairness for Ireland means F-All.
But perspective should reign at the end of a week in which some punters are calling for the boycott of French goods and the French embassy will be the scene of protests for a second day in a row today.
Given that flood waters have ruined many livelihoods and homes and four young women have lost their lives in a tragic car accident in Galway, it should be remembered that nobody died as a result of Henry’s handball.
Irish dreams of football glory on the international stage may have expired for now but they will be rekindled next year with the qualifying round for the next European Championship and Trapattoni and his players will live to fight another day.
