A big hand for the referee

COMING up to two years on from the hand that rocked the world, and there’s still no getting away from it.

In my hotel room in Tallinn the other night, I was casually channel hopping when up popped Ruud Gullit running the rule over the European Championship play-offs. “Estonia v Ireland, Ruud?” Big smile. “I just hope this one is not decided by a handball.” Cue laughter all around.

As if he needed any further reminding, Damien Duff had a particular reason to relive Paris recently, since our old friend Martin Hansson happened to be the man in the middle for Fulham’s 0-1 Europa League away defeat by Wisla Krakow. The game wasn’t without its refereeing talking point either, Hansson having seen fit to send a player off from each side but, given the Duffer’s long established practice of media body-swerving we have no idea if he took the opportunity to gently remind the Swede about the last time they’d shared a football pitch.