FIFA hand Henry a free pass

AND so the greatest Irish football sensation since Saipan ends not with a bang but a whimper.

FIFA have announced that Thierry Henry will not be punished for his notorious handball in last November’s World Cup qualification play-off against the Republic of Ireland, a decision which means that Henry will not now miss any of France’s games in the forthcoming finals in South Africa.

The world governing body’s disciplinary committee concluded that there was “no legal foundation” for them to deal with the case.