Ireland fall victim as the Henry mask slips

Football FanCast columnist Alex Rowland adds his opinion to this Thierry Henry storm.

London, Paris, New York, Munich, everybody’s talking ‘bout a cheating Frenchman. Wednesday night the Republic of Ireland’s world cup dream was destroyed by the ‘Hand of Sod’ as the gleaming charm of a Gillette sponsored athlete evaporated.

Thierry Henry has always had a petulant and dirty side. But maybe the can of worms has finally been opened. When playing for Arsenal he spent 5 minutes after a home defeat to Newcastle berating the referee, wrongly, until pulled away by team-mates. When scoring a nothing home goal in the Premier League against Everton he went crazy in front of the away fans, pumping his chest and gesticulating from only yards away. Add to that some spectacular diving and direct intimidation from point blank range to Danny Mills and Chris Kirkland in home Premiership ties and there seems to be plenty of previous from the smirking French striker.

He betrays his ‘image’, based upon a series on interviews over the years where he laughs and appears positive and smiley, traits that the media lap up. His ‘va va voom’ advert is a montage of Henry’s Frenchisms; the accent, the smile, the laugh. How could we resist?

But on the pitch he is far short of his supposed gentleman self.

Prior to the game he was hugging Richard Dunne, Shay Given and Robbie Keane, marking a mutual respect. But this was later shown to be an alarmingly embarrassment. Shortly after producing a double handball that would even have been illegal in basketball and crossing for Gallas to score, Henry raced in front of the fans; veins pumping and arms outstretched with energy that would bring flashbacks of Highbury for Everton fans. This is what really prompts comparisons with Maradona. Henry knew that he had cheated, as blatantly as anyone ever has in any sport, but he exploded in a firework of self adulation and self congratulation.

What a disgraceful sportsman. There has been counter argument that the Irish players would have done the same thing if they could have got away with it, which is conjecture, but even if one of the Greens had pulled off a move like that it is hard to imagine them racing around the stadium as if they had produced something genuinely amazing. Henry hadn’t, and his show after two handballs, worthy of being slapped around for a year with a wet fish, have given the world an insight into the arrogant show pony. The true loser is monsieur Thierry. Everybody knows now.