The silly Americans called them 'Freedom Fries' for a time.
This issue is going like the Roy Keane saga - it is the people that know least about football that have the most to say...
Oh dear. I hope you boycott French fries too. That would put it right up there with the indignation of silly Americans after the French didn't agree with the war in Iraq. That told the French.... Bien sur it did.
Sure only recently Liverpool got a penalty against Birmingham that even my mates that are Liverppool suporters admit was a dive. Man Utd scored a winner against Man City in the 5th minute of injury time even though only 3 minutes were allocated by the 4th official.
If the FAI keep the presure on FIFA, it may force them to look at using video technology in the future but I can't see anything happen for us now.
It is crazy that blatant cheating like this cannot be highlighted as it happens in a game and dealt with by the ref or 4th official, but unfortunately cheating is part of the game now whether people like it or not.
Again, what has that got to do with the current situation. The replay wasn't played because of a mistake by the referee. If this match is played again because a linsman didn't see an offside and a ref didn't see handball, where do we stop? The season would never end with the amount of replays that would have to be played.
The game I mentioned wasn't a referee mistake either, it was because one team prospered through unsporting conduct. Arsenal took it upon themselves to offer the replay, therefore if the French did the same it would not alter International football. If anything by a replay it would push forward the need for goalline techhnology to be introduced at least into international football where the chances to achieve are under a much smaller timeframe.
Did Englad get a replay after the hand of God in 1986?
No but we have come a long way in 25 years
Did Spurs get a replay in 2005 when Mendez's shot clearly went over the line against Man Utd but wasn't given and Roy Carroll the Utd keeper knew it did?
Did Australia get a replay in the 2006 world cup against Italy when they lost to an injury time penalty that was clearly a dive?
Also was there a replay when Graham Poll booked the Croatia player three times against Australia in the same world cup.
Check out Lional Messi's hand ball goal in La Liga a couple of years ago. Was there a replay?
I could go on and on........
I don't claim to be the voice of people with football knowledge. I do claim to be the voice of common sense though.
Surely common sense doesn't mean that because many people are and have been wronged then it is ok to continue. This could be the catalyst needed to introduce goalline tech. Nobody likes winning by a goal that should never have been allowed so as a football supporter I would like to see it introduced.
Like I say I am annoyed at the officials performance and am annoyed at FIFA for the whole seeding thing but we are out. It's a horrible way to go out but what's happened has happened.
The silly Americans called them 'Freedom Fries' for a time.
This issue is going like the Roy Keane saga - it is the people that know least about football that have the most to say...
I see Roy Keane has stuck his head into it now saying he feels sorry for the players and the fans but not the FAI. "What goes around comes around" he says. Not like Roy to give his opinion!
You seem to know it all. "The Irish players would have done the same." You speak with such authority. How do you know this?
This is one of the interesting things about this episode. Trapatoni and a lot of the players don't blame Henry. Its as if they are accepting anyone in this position would chance their arm (pardon the pun) and its up to the ref to spot it.
Surely this is putting it up to FIFA to introduce video evidence. Basically the players are saying we will cheat and if we get away with it so be it.
What about Henry's reputation as a result of all of this?
As far as I can gather Maradonna lost a lot of international respect from the 86 incident. He probably didn't care though but Henry might.
or the hand of gaul...I know it's a serious situation but I did laugh out loud when I heard the papers in the UK referring to it as 'The Hand of Frog'
Thats my point. Arsenal offered the replay because it was their conduct. Had nothing to do with the referee. They wouldn't have offered it if their striker had dived in the box to win a penalty of if they scored a goal using their hand. They would have just said, the ref gave it so thats football.
There is no example of a team offering to replay a match or FIFA ordering a replay based on a referee making a wrong decison or missing an incident. Even the example being used by the FAI is incorrect because it was based on the referee making an incorrect award to an incident he did see i.e. a free out rather than a retake of the penalty.
I am all for the introduction of technology but FIFA cannot grant a replay and France should not offer one in this case. Otherwise we will have calls for replays after every dodgy decision.
Its over. Look to change the laws and try to make sure it doesn't happen again but there is no way back for Ireland. And I hate that as much as anyone but we are just looking stupid now having Brian Cowan and the Government interfering