So much for the luck of the Irish

KICKBACKS

Sometimes football is not fair. That is something you have to get used to from the moment you kick your first ball. The right team does not always win and on occasion it happens in a fashion that is extremely hard to take.

Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given pleads with Swedish referee Martin Hansson.

Ireland got a taste of this first hand at the Stade de France on Wednesday night, courtesy of Thierry Henry's playful hands. This will no doubt earn the French star a place up there with Diego Maradona in a special ''Hall of Fame For Goals That Make You Feel Sick.''

However, there was no ''Hand of God'' fantasy dreamed up by Henry who openly admitted he handled it and claimed it was up to Swedish referee Martin Hansson to spot it. When asked if he regretted his handball, Henry replied ''No, no, we've qualified.'' One suspects neither Hansson nor Henry will have a visit to the Emerald Isle in their upcoming vacation plans.

Some have argued that Henry should have told the ref that he handled the ball. But in this day and age where so much is at stake and the only thing that matters is winning, to ask a professional to play the role of the 'honest striker' is just not realistic. Can you picture Henry, or anyone else in football for that matter, racing down the pitch and pleading with the ref not to give the goal?

The debate will rage on but it won't change anything. There have been the expected renewed calls for the use of video replays, but Fifa seems to have its head buried in the sand on this issue. For no apparent reason football lags far behind all major sports in the use of technology and will continue to live in prehistoric times as long as Sepp Blatter runs the show.

The referee and linesman apparently didn't see the handball. In fact there was quite a lot the linesman didn't see as two French players were offside when the free kick was taken. It's unfair to simply blame the ref. He had enjoyed a decent game up to that point and one can only assume his view of the incident was totally blocked.

Interestingly Hansson and his assistants were slammed in the Swedish press. ''Bungle Of a Lifetime'' was the headline in the tabloid Aftonbladet calling the decision ''the worst mistake by a Swedish referee we have seen in almost 20 years.''

Of course similar incidents happen in football every week, but not with a World Cup place at stake. As it is, a poor French side will be taking its place in South Africa along with the much criticised coach Raymond Domenech who must be a very relieved gentleman.

The only thing those of us living in Thailand can be thankful for is the French ''goal'' spared us the agony of a 5am penalty shootout which would definitely not have been good for the blood pressure.

Football websites were understandably flooded with furious emails from Irish supporters and also many neutrals. ''Disgusted'', ''gutted'', ''angry'' and ''sickened'' were some of the more printable words that cropped up regularly.

''I am so mad right now I feel physically sick,'' wrote one female Irish supporter, a view that was echoed time and again. ''What a sad way to be knocked out,'' was another comment.

The newspapers of course loved the drama with assorted references to Hand of God or ''Hand of the Frog'' as the Irish Sun saw it. Among the more entertaining offerings were ''Le Cheat'' from both the Daily Express and Irish Mirror and ''French Nickers'' from the Daily Mirror. while another tabloid came up with ''Horrible Henry''.

According to the Daily Telegraph ''Henry did not so much handle the ball ... but rather massaged it, flipped it over, rubbed it clean with his thumb and then punched it on towards William Gallas' head to score.''

Even in France there was a general sense of embarrassment and heavy criticism of the French team's performance. Former France mid fielder Emmanuel Petit commented: ''There is nothing glorious about this.'' Another ex-international Bixente Lizarazu said: ''I am feeling uncomfortable, because the French were catastrophic and because the Irish side was robbed.''

It came as no surprise that the Irish FA's appeal to Fifa to order a replay of the match was rejected out of hand. The Irish claimed it was necessary for the 'integrity' of football, but when has Fifa shown any interest in 'integrity' in recent years?

Admittedly having a replay would have set a dangerous precedent with teams demanding a rematch every time they feel they have been wronged, which would be every other game.

The play-offs had been flawed from the start when Fifa suddenly decided to seed the teams, clearly hoping the big names _ like France _ would have an easier ride. At least Slovenia spoilt this sneaky scheme by upsetting Russia, a fine performance which has unfortunately been totally overshadowed by the row over Henry's careless hands.

More than 23 years on, the Hand of God incident still haunts England fans. One suspects in two decades' time the Irish will still be talking about 'Horrible Henry'.