The Hand of FIFA
There is not much more that can be said about what happened last Wednesday in Paris so I will keep this brief. For those who don’t follow international soccer I suggest watching the above video to get a brief synopsis of the tragedy. Here are my thoughts:
1. First and foremost Thierry Henry is not a cheat. He has apologized for what he did and claims it happened in the heat of the moment. He also is a top French player trying to ensure his team qualifies for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The blame should not fall on his shoulders.
2. Despite the fact that I am a big fan of Ireland, and have followed their qualifying campaign for most of the past two years, I do not think they should replay the match. This would obviously be the ideal solution for the older Irish players who probably won’t get another shot at playing in a World Cup but it cannot happen. If FIFA were to allow a replay it would set a precedent that could potentially open floodgates. Beyond the obvious result of having to relinquish Argentina’s 1986 win over England it could result in replay requests in virtually every game.
3. INSTANT REPLAY SHOULD BE INSTITUTED IN EVERY SPORT. It is the only fair way to decide games and quite honestly in the Youtube era it will become a neccessity if you want your favourite sport to retain credibility.
4. FIFA is run by a bunch 80 year old gerontocrats in Zurich who don’t know the first thing about 21st century soccer. Their stubborness and inability to adapt to the World around them reminds me of Bud Selig Gary Bettman the Cuban Government and will only serve to hurt their sport’s popularity.
5. LETS GO ENGLAND 2010!!!!
2 years ago • Notes