By now we have all heard or read what Henry Thierry said of his handball foul which sent France into the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final competition at the expense of Ireland. Henry Thierry said: “I am not a cheat and never have been”. Henry Thierry added: “I did handball the ball, but I did not do it on purpose,”
First let’s start from basic. What is the meaning of “cheat”? Standard dictionary definition includes an act of deception or fraud, to deceive by trickery, to swindle, etc. So did Henry Thierry cheat?
French finance minister Christine Lagarde thinks so, calling the crucial goal ensuing from Henry Thierry’s handball foul “an act of cheating.” Ask the Irish fans, and they will say that Henry Thierry is a cheat.
But Henry Thierry has many friend who think otherwise. Zinedine Zidane, one of France’s greatest players, said of Henry Thierry: “He is not a cheat, I know him well. He made a mistake, we all make mistakes.”
Tony Adams, who was Henry Thierry’s captain at Arsenal said: “Thierry is no cheat. I can assure everyone of that. It is just not in his character to cheat. It is not him. I was with him basically every day for eight years and he is one of the most professional people I have come across in the game. I have played with him on many, many occasions and I have never known him to do anything even resembling that in any of the games I have been involved in.” And then Tony Adams added: “What he did was instinctive – and I am certain there are many more other front men who would do the same thing.”
David Beckham, former England captain, said: “I know Thierry as a player and a person. He is a great person and a great player. I really don’t think that he meant it. You are playing in a World Cup qualifier. It is such a heated, emotional moment that you don’t know what you are doing in games. I have been involved in big games and tense situations and I have reacted to certain things. You look back and think, ‘wow, I was wrong to do that’.”
Former Wales player and now sports writer John Hartson said of Henry Thierry: ”Sure, he handled the ball and going by the laws of the game that’s not allowed. But it’s the officials’ job to spot foul-play. Had the referee blown his whistle and booked him, Henry would have had no argument. But he failed to see what happened and as a result France scored. Honestly, I don’t have a problem with that”.
Arsenal’s manager, Arsene Wenger said: “Football and sport in general is full of heroes who have cheated 10 times more than Thierry — he is super-fair.” Then he added: “France has to say ‘yes it was a handball and we offer a replay’. It is embarrassing to qualify the way we qualified.”
But the French federation (FFF) said it had no plans to ask for a replay. It said: “The decision by FIFA is final and should be respected by both federations. The FFF never tried to deny that a refereeing mistake led to the French goal being awarded.”
So there you have it. French finance minister Christine Lagarde thinks Henry Thierry cheated. But Henry Thierry himself don’t think so. He admitted to committing a foul, but said he didn’t do it on purpose, so he is no cheat. Tony Adams said this foul act is instinctive. David Beckham said it was an act done in an emotional moment when you don’t know what you are doing. John Hartson said it was the referee’s job to spot foul play. And the FFF fully agrees that a refereeing mistake had been made, but won’t agree to a replay of the qualifying match with Ireland. In any event, FIFA has offically turned down Ireland’s request for a replay.
But what does the French coach feel about this controversy? Well the referee wasn’t the only person who didn’t see the foul. French coach Raymond Domenech said: “I didn’t see the hand. It was not the case. You people speak about this from 80 metres away.” But TV replays showed clearly that Henry Thierry handled the ball not once, but twice.
What about the man in the middle of it all? Referee Martin Hansson said: “I cannot comment on the game itself but life must go on and I hope I will survive this too.”
Think about it. Is Henry Thierry a cheat? If cheating is defined as an act to deceive, to defraud, to swindle, by trickery then it means it has to be a deliberate act to constitute cheating. So it all boils down to whether the handball foul by Henry Thierry was deliberate or not. Henry Thierry says it wasn’t intentional. French finance minster Christine Lagarde thinks otherwise. Are we any wiser?
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