Hand slams ‘disgusting’ cheating

CHEATING. Disgusting. A tragedy.

Former Ireland manager Eoin Hand wasn’t mincing his words at the final whistle in Paris last night.

Whatever Hand thought about Thierry Henry before his ‘Hand of God’ intervention for William Gallas’ winner, things have certainly changed now.

“My opinion has changed entirely of Thierry Henry,” said Hand sitting alongside RTÉ Radio’s Gabriel Egan at the game.

“I think it’s a disgusting way for France to go through. The effort was there and we deserved it.

“To win a game, or draw a game as was the case, by cheating, it’s just disgusting.”

Egan interjected briefly to point out that this sickening play-off defeat could very well represent Shay Given’s last chance of reaching a World Cup finals.

But Hand was quickly back on Henry’s case.

“I don’t think anyone will shake Thierry Henry’s hand coming off that park, I wouldn’t expect so,” offered Hand.

Richard Dunne disproved Hand’s assertion almost immediately as RTÉ TV beamed us pictures of he and Henry in an unlikely clinch.

“There’s Thierry Henry talking to Richard Dunne – what’s he saying to him? I don’t know,” mused Hand.

“Richard Dunne is probably saying ‘you got away with it, you got away with it, good luck’.

“That’s the sporting thing to do. But for us up here observing it’s just an awful way to go out.”

Hand spelt out the broader implications of Ireland’s latest failed attempt to reach the finals of a major competition and how it may impact on the local game.

“The difference getting to South Africa would have made to everything, to the whole structure of football in this country, it would have been huge,” said Hand.

“And we deserved it. That’s the killer thing.”