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Thierry Henry: A Replay Would Be Fair For Ireland And France
Striker makes a case to replay the controversial play-off...
20-Nov-2009 6:56:37 PM
Barcelona striker Thierry Henry has today issued a statement calling for France's controversial World Cup qualifying play-off with the Republic of Ireland to be replayed.
The forward, whose handball in the run-up to William Gallas's extra-time winner for Les Bleus has led to an official request from the FAI to FIFA to replay the game, feels that a replay would be "the fairest solution".
"I have said at the time and I will say again that, yes, I handled the ball," he said, according to Sky Sports News.
"I am not a cheat and never have been. It was an instinctive reaction to a ball that was coming extremely fast in a crowded penalty area.
"As a footballer you do not have the luxury of the television to slow the pace of the ball down 100 times to be able make a conscious decision.
"People are viewing slow motion version of what happened and not what I or any other footballer faces in the game."
Full report to follow...
Zack Wilson, Goal.com UK
The forward, whose handball in the run-up to William Gallas's extra-time winner for Les Bleus has led to an official request from the FAI to FIFA to replay the game, feels that a replay would be "the fairest solution".
"I have said at the time and I will say again that, yes, I handled the ball," he said, according to Sky Sports News.
"I am not a cheat and never have been. It was an instinctive reaction to a ball that was coming extremely fast in a crowded penalty area.
"As a footballer you do not have the luxury of the television to slow the pace of the ball down 100 times to be able make a conscious decision.
"People are viewing slow motion version of what happened and not what I or any other footballer faces in the game."
Full report to follow...
Zack Wilson, Goal.com UK
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