Dunne: France didn't even bother to try in World Cup

Richard Dunne bears no ill will towards Thierry Henry after his infamous handball in France’s World Cup qualifier play-off against the Republic of Ireland.

France qualified ahead of Ireland after Henry handled the ball to set up a goal for William Gallas in the final minutes of extra time, prompting widespread outrage and calls for a replay.

Dunne is philosophical about the defeat now however, even admitting that an Irish player may have done the same, given the circumstances.

“That happens in football, that sort of thing,” said Dunne. “One of our players would have done it as well. That’s football and that’s all you can do.”

The Aston Villa centreback was far more critical of the lack of commitment shown by the French in the tournament itself. Asked if he could imagine the Ireland team refusing to train, Dunne was scathing in his reply.

“Well that’s the thing, I mean…If you’re going to cheat to get there, you might as well try when you get there, and they didn’t even bother doing that,” he said.