Time for a bit of perspective on Thierry Henry

Betfair blogger Gareth Freeman feels it is time for a bit of perspective on Thierry Henry.

I actually wrote the majority of this article in the wake of the infamous handball incident but decided to hold back on sending it out there. In all honesty I considered shelving it but I’ve always been an advocate of technology in football and there was no greater example of the need for the introduction of cameras than Thierry Henry’s handball against the Irish.

Thierry Henry has quite rightly taken a pasting since his outrageous handball against Ireland in their World Cup play-off.  He has been blasted from all sides and apparently considered retiring from international football – for me this would be a great shame.

Now firstly, before people start screaming ‘how can you defend this guy?’ I’d like to say I did find the incident terrible.  I was screaming at the screen as loudly as anyone else in the fine establishment I was watching the game in when Henry controlled the ball with the skill of an NBA player with his hand before placing the ball onto Gallas’ head.  In no way do I find cheating in sport acceptable but I think this incident needs to be put into perspective.

The stakes in that game were as high as they can be in football and there is no doubt in my mind that every player on that pitch desperately wanted to win that game.  Nicolas Anelka took a tumble over Shay Given looking for a penalty and plenty of players would have done the same.  Had he won the penalty there would not have been the same furore but the Irish would have felt no less cheated.  When the free-kick was delivered that led to Henry’s goal there were two Frenchmen offside but the linesman failed to notice that, before he failed to notice Henry’s hand.  It was a great shame the Irish went out in this manner and they were robbed but Thierry Henry has done so much for football I genuinely don’t think he should be vilified for one heat of the moment decision.

Writing in British newspaper the Sunday Times, Irish international Kevin Kilbane said:  “It is a cold-hearted game. You can’t really blame Henry, even if we don’t like the comments he made to me and a few of the lads (Kilbane says Henry claimed he “couldn’t help it” to some Irish players immediately after the goal), but in the cold light of day the officials have to see that and the responsibility has to lie with them.”

Other than the players themselves who knows what depths a player will sink when the chance of competing in the World Cup is on offer?  If I was playing in a World Cup play-off (we can all dream can’t we?) I’d love to say I’d never do that but I can’t guarantee it, I may even have thrown the ball into the net with both hands if I thought I could get away with it.

It was a great shame the player in question was Barcelona man Thierry Henry.  The veteran striker has always been a model professional and is respected by almost all involved in the game.  Granted, he has never been as fully appreciated at Camp Nou as he was in his time at Arsenal but his work in the Premier League should always be remembered by fans of the beautiful game, despite this major stain he has inflicted on a glittering career.

Away from football Henry involves himself in plenty of charity work for the likes of UNICEF, Stand up and Speak (an anti racism in football campaign Henry started with Nike) as well as work for AIDS and Cystic Fibrosis charities.  In general he comes across as a decent guy with good principles and as far as I can see it this one misdemeanour should not counteract all the great things he has done in and outside of football.

As much as I have defended Henry I still find the incident disgusting and of course it will always be one of the first things you think of when you hear his name.  In much the same way Diego Maradona is remembered for his handball against England in the quarter finals of the 1986 World Cup.  However, unlike Maradona Henry admitted his cheating pretty much straight after the match – Maradona took nearly 20 years before he finally came clean.

The majority of the blame, of course, falls on Henry’s shoulders – but there were two other men at fault that night.  One, the linesman for failing first to see the offside and then the handball the other being the referee who also should have seen the handball.  The question for me is how do we avoid such an incident again?

To be honest, I’d love to see the use of technology implemented in football.  A quick replay could have been watched by the referee or the fourth official, the goal would have been ruled out and Henry would have been awarded a yellow card – problem solved.  Yes, we would still be calling him a cheat for trying his luck like that but it would be quickly forgotten or at least wouldn’t have had the same impact, as the goal would have been ruled out.  They use technology in Rugby, Tennis and the NFL so why not in football, the greatest and most watched sport in the world?  I have no idea why the governing bodies are so hesitant to embrace it but incidents like this should put more pressure on the footballing authorities to reconsider their stance.  Fifa did hold a general meeting following the play-off between the Irish and the French, where again they dismissed calls for replays and cameras etc.  I’m starting to get the feeling that the current men in charge will never accept the use of technology (more referees on the goal line?  Do me a favour) and we will probably have to wait for a change in personnel before there is any chance cameras and goal line technology find their way into football.

I think the Henry incident highlighted the need for replays and technology in football perhaps greater than any other incident has done in the past.  Over the weekend there were a couple of incidents in the Premier League where technology would have made a huge difference.  The first, Wolves’ first goal against Bolton that was clearly offside.  In truth Wolves deserved to win that game but when you get a goal in the first five minutes, especially against a Bolton side who haven’t come from behind to win all season, you would expect to come through with all three points.  The second was Portsmouth’s penalty against Burnley.  Hermann Hreidarsson went down without a touch and was awarded a penalty kick.  In fairness to Hreidarsson, he wasn’t looking for it, didn’t appeal and went to play on but the fact of the matter is the referee got it horribly wrong.  Week in, week out these incorrect decisions will continue to happen resulting in penalty kicks and goals that should never have been and all we need is a few cameras to sort it out, so what is stopping the governing bodies implementing technology?

Written by Gareth Freeman, a sports writer promoting racing tips for today and the Grand National 2010.