Henry should be banned from the World Cup

Johnny Utah

Back to the original question; should Henry be banned from the World Cup?


Oliver Neuville receieved a 2 match ban for throwing the ball into the net during a club game in Germany. Henry handled the ball in a much more important game, and it has made headline news around the world, so I think it's only fair that a stern punishment is handed out given the circumstances of his blatant cheating. Imo, it would be appropriate if he was banned from the entire World Cup finals.

Johnny Utah

Mods, could you please add a poll if it's not too difficult.

Q: Should Henry be banned from the World Cup Finals

(1) Yes, he should be banned for the entire World Cup
(2) Yes, he should be banned for 3 games
(3) Yes, he should be banned for 1-2 games
(4) No



Thanks

L'prof

Johnny Utah wrote: »

Mods, could you please add a poll if it's not too difficult.

Q: Should Henry be banned from the World Cup Finals

(1) Yes, he should be banned for the entire World Cup
(2) Yes, he should be banned for 3 games
(3) Yes, he should be banned for 1-2 games
(4) No



Thanks

Create a new thread and do it yourself, I think you should include all selections from 1-7 games and that would be the whole of the world cup included if they got to the final!

LuckyLloyd

OPENROAD wrote: »

Was specifically thinking of match threads on this board during the season.

Most match threads during the season don't concern once off do or die games of such significance though. All that "these things even out" stuff is rubbish anyway. And in this specific incidence, the eyes of the world were focused on the game. Achieving such a significant result in such a dishonest manner has genuinely brought the game into disrepute to a degree I've never seen before.

It's just different this time. When PTI and Around The Horn have the matter as their opening salvo, you know that usual match discussion is not particularly relevant in this case.

LuckyLloyd

Johnny Utah wrote: »

Mods, could you please add a poll if it's not too difficult.

Q: Should Henry be banned from the World Cup Finals

(1) Yes, he should be banned for the entire World Cup
(2) Yes, he should be banned for 3 games
(3) Yes, he should be banned for 1-2 games
(4) No



Thanks

I'm going to skip on the Poll for now mate. Any result you would get would be a reflection of high levels of emotion and frustration, rather than any rational assessment of what the proper punishment for his actions / similar situations going forward should be.

Dont be at yourself

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

I'm going to skip on the Poll for now mate. Any result you would get would be a reflection of high levels of emotion and frustration, rather than any rational assessment of what the proper punishment for his actions / similar situations going forward should be.

but the very purpose of a poll would be to measure our emotion and frustration!

Mitch Connor

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/republicofireland/6609355/Thierry-Henry-must-be-banned-from-playing-in-the-2010-World-Cup.html

Why you, Thierry? Why you of all people? You always stood for something purer in the polluted world of football. You sent "good luck'' texts to rivals like Steven Gerrard.

You sought out Frank Lampard after one Chelsea-Arsenal tear-up, wishing him great joy with impending fatherhood.
You played the game with style and a smile. So why cheat? Thierry, you have just given football its "Say it ain't so, Joe'' moment. From Shoeless to Shameless.

If it had been William Gallas or Lassana Diarra conning the referee with the Hand of Gaul, the shockwaves would not have spread so far and wide, the calls for replays and video umpires would not have been so strident.
What is truly dispiriting about this skulduggery at the Stade de Fraud is that the perpetrator was Henry, an individual admired within an oft-criticised game for possessing principles. Until Wednesday.

If hitherto good guys like Henry are sacrificing their scruples on the high altar of "the end justifies the means'', then football really has lost its moral compass. The governing body of the global game, Fifa, must react strongly to an outrage more harmful than Diego Maradona's Hand of God.
Maradona was a serial charlatan. Henry was not.

So what should Fifa do? Simple. A cheat like Henry should not be allowed to attend the World Cup while honest souls like Shay Given, Robbie Keane, Damien Duff and Ireland's wonderful supporters stay at home.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter must ban France's captain from any involvement in South Africa.
The alternative is too damaging. Before a global audience to be numbered in billions, the sight of Henry leading France out behind the Fair Play banner would make a mockery of Fifa's well-intentioned crusade against cheating. The World Cup is Blatter's party and he can cry foul if he wants to.
Photographs of Henry, seeking refuge on his mother's island, Martinique, exiled on a footballing Elba, would send out a salutary message.

Professionals might think twice about double-crossing the game that gives them such fame and fortune. Impressionable schoolchildren would learn that cheats do not prosper, that a crime will lead to punishment.
Sadly, Blatter loves his stars, so he is unlikely to countenance the thought, however logical, of making France's captain a pariah next summer.

He should think again. Just imagine the prospect of Les Miserables actually winning the World Cup, of Blatter presenting the most coveted trophy in the sporting universe to Henry. The hand that cheated the Irish, that shamed the sport, would now hold the World Cup. The headlines would not be kind.
The anger stirred by Henry's offence might have lessened if he had revealed some contrition. Instead, he celebrated Gallas's goal created by his dishonest handiwork, even shifting any blame on to the unsighted referee, Martin Hansson. How craven.
Late on Wednesday, debating the issue close to the crime scene, the former Arsenal forward argued that his action, pushing out his left hand to control the ball, was an instinctive response shaped by two past incidents.
The first arrived during the 2001 FA Cup final in Cardiff when Liverpool's centre-half, Stéphane Henchoz, blatantly handled a goalbound shot from Henry. The referee, Steve Dunn, waved away Henry's appeals.

Five years later, Henry shot into the CSKA Moscow goal but was wrongly judged by the Spanish referee, Manuel Enrique, to have controlled the ball with his hand in the build-up. Henry was even booked for his complaints. But these are poor excuses. All players have hard-luck stories.
Ask the Irish. Ireland's assistant manager, Liam Brady, spoke eloquently about the squad's deep frustration.
At Henry's old Emirates home, a huge mural now encircles the stadium, celebrating 32 club legends, which depicts Henry with his arm around another familiar Arsenal figure. It's Brady. The entente will not be so cordiale now.
From Dublin to Paris and around the world, opprobrium assails Henry.

The French media, impressively objective despite the relief of qualification, have absolutely eviscerated their cheating captain.

He is paying a price, to his reputation, perhaps even his bank account. Do his boot sponsors, Reebok, really want a cheat on the payroll?
Will the clean-cut images of Roger Federer and Tiger Woods be harmed by swapping Gillette razors with Henry.
His commercial backers would definitely ponder his usefulness if Fifa denied him World Cup exposure. Charging Henry with bringing the game into disrepute is a sanction within Fifa's remit.

But for all the understandable anger flowing through the Football Association of Ireland, a replay is not the answer. People talk of the 'Uzbeki precedent', of the replay granted because the referee made a "technical error'', but that was permissible under Fifa laws.

There is nothing in the statute book that allows for this game to be staged again. The International FA Board should avoid considering altering the laws anyway; if replays are allowed what will be the triggering point? Unseen handballs? Bad fouls? Half-time tea too cold?

Fifa's dislike of video technology, of artificial adjudicating, is unlikely to change either, although the proliferation of American owners in the Premier League may quicken the clamour for a TV judge.

Using replays retrospectively for disciplining offenders who escaped the referee's attention is a good idea, although Uefa should have been stronger over Eduardo's tumble against Celtic.

Uefa sources indicate that Henry's unpunished handball simply strengthens the argument for fielding an extra official behind each goal in the Champions League from next season and then in Uefa qualifiers.

Devised by the Uefa president Michel Platini, the system is being used in the Europa League and needs only a nod from Fifa next summer to be rolled out elsewhere. One Frenchman's cheating has added legitimacy to the plans of another. A watershed, partly filled with Irish tears, has been reached.

eZe^

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

but the very purpose of a poll would be to measure our emotion and frustration!

And a potential vehicle for people to get hot headed again, and start saying things they'll ultimately regret. Leave it for a bit until people have calmed down more.

mkdon05

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article6924644.ece

You would think at this stage of the game, Beckham would have more smarts than to align himself to someone who is under sever public pressure.
Dimwit!!

SlickRic

mkdon05 wrote: »

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article6924644.ece

You would think at this stage of the game, Beckham would have more smarts than to align himself to someone who is under sever public pressure.
Dimwit!!

having these two words in the same sentence is your first problem.

LostinBlanch

Look if he does get a ban it'll only be a meaningless slap on the wrist like a two game ban or something.

The only thing that he will care about is the damage to Brand Henry. Hopefully he'll get dropped by one or other of his sponsors and this will hit him in the pocket.

patmac

Oh Thank God for David Beckham I feel so much better now, that should be an end to the matter.

L'prof

mkdon05 wrote: »

Beckham condones cheating

No shit:

patmac

LostinBlanch wrote: »

The only thing that he will care about is the damage to Brand Henry. Hopefully he'll get dropped by one or other of his sponsors and this will hit him in the pocket.

Speaking of Brand Henry I got this email this morning:


After watching Thierry Henry (one of the faces (or is it faeces) of Gillette) rob the Irish players and public of a chance at the World Cup in South Africa next year I have decided to not only boycott Gillette products but also any products of its' parent company Proctor & Gamble.

For your information their products include: Actonel, Always, Ariel, Bounty, Braun, Crest, Duracell, Head & Shoulders, Iams, Oral-B, Pampers, Pantene, Pringles and Wella.

Apparently Gillette are standing by their handballing, cheating "champion". Maybe Gillette condone Henry's type of behavior to become a "champion" but I don't and the only way to give them the message is to hit them where it hurts.

Please consider the above when making future purchases where you have a choice.

Also please forward this to any fair-minded, honest contacts in your address book.

L'prof

patmac wrote: »

Speaking of Brand Henry I got this email this morning:


After watching Thierry Henry (one of the faces (or is it faeces) of Gillette) rob the Irish players and public of a chance at the World Cup in South Africa next year I have decided to not only boycott Gillette products but also any products of its' parent company Proctor & Gamble.

For your information their products include: Actonel, Always, Ariel, Bounty, Braun, Crest, Duracell, Head & Shoulders, Iams, Oral-B, Pampers, Pantene, Pringles and Wella.

Apparently Gillette are standing by their handballing, cheating "champion". Maybe Gillette condone Henry's type of behavior to become a "champion" but I don't and the only way to give them the message is to hit them where it hurts.

Please consider the above when making future purchases where you have a choice.

Also please forward this to any fair-minded, honest contacts in your address book.

No offence but, could you really be arsed?

Fink Goddie

Rebecca Loos and Posh know that all too well

Mitch Connor

jasonorr wrote: »

No shit:

What are you on about - there is no cheating from Beckham in that vid.... there is a foul followed by stupid retaliation. no cheating though. Simulation from Simone, but i don't see Beckham condoning that.

BaZmO*

patmac wrote: »

Speaking of Brand Henry I got this email this morning:


After watching Thierry Henry (one of the faces (or is it faeces) of Gillette) rob the Irish players and public of a chance at the World Cup in South Africa next year I have decided to not only boycott Gillette products but also any products of its' parent company Proctor & Gamble.

For your information their products include: Actonel, Always, Ariel, Bounty, Braun, Crest, Duracell, Head & Shoulders, Iams, Oral-B, Pampers, Pantene, Pringles and Wella.

Apparently Gillette are standing by their handballing, cheating "champion". Maybe Gillette condone Henry's type of behavior to become a "champion" but I don't and the only way to give them the message is to hit them where it hurts.

Please consider the above when making future purchases where you have a choice.

Also please forward this to any fair-minded, honest contacts in your address book.

God, that's just nonsense.

While I agree that in footballing terms this is a big issue, but in the real world it's hardly a hanging offence.

The one thing that this controversy has done is to highlight the endemic nature of cheating in football. Could you imagine the shock and horror if there was video footage showing Tiger Woods kicking a golf ball out of the rough to gain an advantage. It just wouldn't happen though because the acceptable face of cheating is simply not tolerated in most other sports. Football needs to clean up it's act.

PCPhoto

eZe^ wrote: »

I agree with you, and Henry is a player who currently plays for the team I support. I'm gutted for Ireland, absolutely gutted that they were cheated out of a WC, but a replay would almost be farcical in that it has never happened before when horribly dubious decisions were made (The Chelsea vs Barca match last year was a good example, but there was bad calls made both for AND against Barca in that, before any Chelsea fan comes in here complaining ).

But I hope some good can come out of this, and people start seriously considering the prospect of goal line technology, an extra official, proper analysis of goals, and punishments for retrospectively proven diving.

www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/germany2006/news/newsid=27212.html
its not like it hasnt happened before (A match to be replayed)

even if the match is not replayed - at this point FIFA must make changes to the game - ie video replays or add the extra referees at the end of the pitch, or maybe even do as they do in lower levels of "soccer" in USA - have 2 referees on the pitch.

Mitch Connor

what annoys me more is the attitude that the ref is to blame.

Domenech annoyed me the most:

"Everyone who loves the French team is pleased with this qualification," he said. "I too am pleased although it is tinged with a little bitterness due to a poor performance from my team, the referee and also the media reaction.

"I do not understand why we are being portrayed as the guilty party."

Domenech, who is set to keep his job following qualification, insisted he did not notice Henry's handball from the bench, adding: "I didn't see it at the time. After I watched it back, I can see it is a mistake by the referee. To me this is the game and not cheating. I do not understand why we are being asked to apologise.
__________________________

It isn't Henry's fault that he cheated, it is the refs fault for letting him away with it. Sickening attitude, and an attitude that is at the very heart of all that is wrong in football today.

rocco

I dont think he should be banned, but I do feel fundamental change is needed with the introduction of video referees and rules around the use of them obviously.

Dampsquid

Cheating happens every day in football, diving etc. What Henry did is only the latest example. It is tolerated by managers and every club and country is doing it. Even fans tolerate it as long as it gives their team an advantage.

Beautiful game? yeah right.

Leiva

Look , I am as Fed Up with all this ..but Henry has just come out with this It was just neccesary to exploit what was exploitable

What is he thinking ??

So lets apply Henry's 1 commandment to our kids ...

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Honor thy father and thy mother ...but exploit whats exploitable ?

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Thou shalt not kill..[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]but exploit whats exploitable ?

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]but exploit whats exploitable ?

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]but exploit whats exploitable ?[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]When taking Exams .[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]exploit whats exploitable ?

When playing Sports [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]exploit whats exploitable ?

etc.
etc.

I am no Holy Joe , but what was he thinking ?
This so called "Sports Hero" has just shown his true colours .

Shameful In all honesty .

M


[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT]

Mitch Connor

obviously it was instinctive.

******* ******* ******* ****** cheating hypocritical *******

podge018

He was right to do what he done, they're on the plane to the WC. I only wish an Irish player had the guile and cunning to pull it off.

SlickRic

podge018 wrote: »

He was right to do what he done, they're on the plane to the WC. I only wish an Irish player had the guile and cunning to pull it off.

what happened to it being a sport?

as i said in the other thread, the hypocrite seems as though he's enjoying it, since he's now adding fuel to the fire.

i mean, he could easily defuse this at any point, take the pressure of himself, and put it on the FFF and FIFA. yet he still chooses to go down the 'i did nothing wrong' route.

by the way, i'd be f*cking ashamed if Ireland resorted to that to get through. i honestly would.

Bandit12

The jokes on you Henry. Even your own people are ashamed of you.:)

Gone Drinking

Bandit12 wrote: »

The jokes on you Henry. Even your own people are ashamed of you.:)

Like they'll give a siht come the summer..

TelePaul

Can you imagine if Tiger Woods gave his ball a little kick three foot closer to the pin? He wouldn't play professional golf again. It's just a shame that certain things are accepted in football. Henri is a disgrace.

BaZmO*

http://www.jeu-de-main.com/

PHB

Absolutely not and I think we should all give it up at this stage. The only good that can come of this is video technology, nothing else.

Agricola

Gone Drinking wrote: »

Like they'll give a siht come the summer..

True. Its just part n parcel of the pathetic culture of cheating and gamesmanship which football is all about. Pretty disgusting.

pickarooney

Having to keep Domenech for another year is punishment enough for France.

Johnny Utah

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

I'm going to skip on the Poll for now mate. Any result you would get would be a reflection of high levels of emotion and frustration, rather than any rational assessment of what the proper punishment for his actions / similar situations going forward should be.

C'mon mate, give the people what they want, please. It would be interesting to see what way the poll goes.

LostinBlanch wrote: »

Look if he does get a ban it'll only be a meaningless slap on the wrist like a two game ban or something.

The only thing that he will care about is the damage to Brand Henry. Hopefully he'll get dropped by one or other of his sponsors and this will hit him in the pocket.

No, it shouldn't be merely a slap on the wrist. That would send out all the wrong signals and that's why I want a meaningful ban put in place. Ban this cheat from the entire World Cup please.

PHB wrote: »

Absolutely not and I think we should all give it up at this stage. The only good that can come of this is video technology, nothing else.

So, you condone cheating?

Do you condone drug-taking too?

TelePaul wrote: »

Can you imagine if Tiger Woods gave his ball a little kick three foot closer to the pin? He wouldn't play professional golf again. It's just a shame that certain things are accepted in football. Henri is a disgrace.

Well said TelePaul.

Adriatic

Look what happened to Henry's Wiki. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thierry_Henry&oldid=326715091

greendom

His image is tarnished and I've no doubt he will suffer financially - but with the amount he has already made and is still making I doubt that hardly matters, but you can't go round banning players because of the importance of the game or due to how much controversy it caused.

If it can be done then perhaps he should start the WC with a yellow card to his name.

Johnny Utah

greendom wrote: »

His image is tarnished and I've no doubt he will suffer financially - but with the amount he has already made and is still making I doubt that hardly matters, but you can't go round banning players because of the importance of the game or due to how much controversy it caused.

If it can be done then perhaps he should start the WC with a yellow card to his name.

That's a meaningless punishment and you know it. Maradona was banned in the 94 World Cup for cheating, so what's the difference?

kinaldo

I don't know what thread to post in but I think it's great all this controversy.

Graham Hunter who lives in Spain and is involved with the European media has been saying it's front page news all over Europe as well as the Guardian and the New York Times etc., and that Marca gave it 2 full pages highlighting what they saw as the worst case of cheating in football HISTORY!

I always saw the French as a lucky nation, who can seemingly just call upon luck whenever they need it, accept it like day follows night and move on. Domenech's comments just confirm that to me. My pre-match prediction before both legs was that they would get lucky... so no sursprises here.

Perhaps though such worldwide outcry over Henry's cheating will lead to something good i.e. video evidence. I should stress though that HENRY is the culprit... one person. It's laughable and embarrassing to hear people trying to revile an entire nation over one man's actions aided by the incompetence of 3 Swedish officials.

greendom

Johnny Utah wrote: »

That's a meaningless punishment and you know it. Maradona was banned in the 94 World Cup for cheating, so what's the difference?

The difference was Henry handled the ball - he wasn't on coke at the time afaik

Johnny Utah

greendom wrote: »

The difference was Henry handled the ball - he wasn't on coke at the time afaik

Neither was Maradona....

greendom

Johnny Utah wrote: »

Neither was Maradona....

Sorry my mistake, it was ephidrene - my point was the punishment for drug use is well known as is the punishment for handball. You can't change the punishment to suit public sentiment.

kinaldo

also anyone who remembers 2006 should not be surprised...

kinaldo after France eliminate Spain in 2006 wrote:

First off, it was barely even a foul more of a collision. Secondly, by clutching his face he was trying to con the ref into thinking he'd been elbowed in the face, and in the process get Puyol sent off. Henry is quick to moan about refs for anything and everything, so by trying to con a ref himself and then denying he's a cheat afterwards makes him nothing but an hypocrite and worse.

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=51703754&postcount=59

Henry came out after the game and had the gall to lie and claim that Puyol had apologised to him for the ''foul''.

Puyol knew nothing of this, and in subsequent interviews Henry has admitted his ''gamesmanship'' in that incident.

Johnny Utah

greendom wrote: »

Sorry my mistake, it was ephidrene - my point was the punishment for drug use is well known as is the punishment for handball. You can't change the punishment to suit public sentiment.

As Kinaldo pointed out above, this is being highlighted as the worst case of cheating in football history by foreign media. Does that not tell you something?

eZe^

kinaldo wrote: »

Marca gave it 2 full pages highlighting what they saw as the worst case of cheating in football HISTORY! .

At the same time, a bit of perspective is needed there. Marca has it's own little agenda by doing whatever they possibly can to sully Barcelona's name. Marca can be small time when they want to be, this isn't a case where they are looking out for the greater good of football tbh.

Johnny Utah

eZe^ wrote: »

At the same time, a bit of perspective is needed there. Marca has it's own little agenda by doing whatever they possibly can to sully Barcelona's name. Marca can be small time when they want to be, this isn't a case where they are looking out for the greater good of football tbh.

It's world news in fairness.

greendom

Johnny Utah wrote: »

As Kinaldo pointed out above, this is being highlighted as the worst case of cheating in football history by foreign media. Does that not tell you something?

No not really - perhaps don't believe what you read ?

Look it was a cheat and led directly to Ireland for getting knocked out but you can't change punishments to suit you. if the rules are changed for handling the ball, that shouldn't make any difference to Henry anyway, as you can't apply them retrospectively.

The only way Henry will miss the WC is if he gets injured, or FIFA relents and allows a replay and Ireland win it. Basically you need to be putting all your hopes on him getting crocked

Mitch Connor

greendom wrote: »

No not really - perhaps don't believe what you read ?

Look it was a cheat and led directly to Ireland for getting knocked out but you can't change punishments to suit you. if the rules are changed for handling the ball, that shouldn't make any difference to Henry anyway, as you can't apply them retrospectively.

The only way Henry will miss the WC is if he gets injured, or FIFA relents and allows a replay and Ireland win it. Basically you need to be putting all your hopes on him getting crocked

A german player, or a player in the german league was banned for two games for deliberate handball.

Uefa tried to ban Eduardo for diving. Uefa DID ban a player, retrospectively, for diving vs Scotland (i think - they def did ban someone for it)

So, yeah, players can be banned by governing bodies if the offence is deemed serious enough, while not being a bannable offence at the time.

eZe^

Johnny Utah wrote: »

It's world news in fairness.

Never said it wasn't newsworthy. Just that it doesn't surprise me that Marca would do a massive two page editorial on it exclaiming that's it's the biggest act of cheating in the history of football. Although I'm looking at the marca website now and it doesn't seem to be that big of a story.

Johnny Utah

greendom wrote: »

No not really - perhaps don't believe what you read ?

Look it was a cheat and led directly to Ireland for getting knocked out but you can't change punishments to suit you. if the rules are changed for handling the ball, that shouldn't make any difference to Henry anyway, as you can't apply them retrospectively.

The only way Henry will miss the WC is if he gets injured, or FIFA relents and allows a replay and Ireland win it. Basically you need to be putting all your hopes on him getting crocked

So one form of cheating is acceptable, but another is not...

Oliver Neuville received a 2 match ban for throwing the ball into the net in a German league match. Henry's handball happened in a much bigger match, which was watched around the world. Players careers and a nation's hopes and dreams were dashed by a moment of blatant cheating. Given the circumstances, he needs to be banned from next summer's World Cup. If Fifa want to espouse an image of 'fair play' then I'm adamant he needs to be banned.

kinaldo

eZe^ wrote: »

Never said it wasn't newsworthy. Just that it doesn't surprise me that Marca would do a massive two page editorial on it exclaiming that's it's the biggest act of cheating in the history of football. Although I'm looking at the marca website now and it doesn't seem to be that big of a story.

Perhaps it was in yesterday's edition, was only passing on what Graham Hunter was just saying on Newstalk.