St Ledger: Henry will be remembered for infamous handball
Sean St Ledger has warned Thierry Henry he risks being remembered for his infamous World Cup handball rather than as a brilliant footballer.
The Barcelona striker was the centre of attention in Paris last night after helping to rescue France from play-off defeat by the Republic of Ireland.
Ireland were leading 1-0 at the Stade de France and were level on aggregate deep into extra-time when Henry crossed for defender William Gallas to head home the goal which ultimately took his country to next summer’s finals in South Africa.
However, the Irish players immediately besieged Swedish referee Martin Hansson claiming Henry had handled before he crossed, and replays backed them up.
But their pleas for justice went unheeded as the French scraped through in controversial circumstances and left St Ledger bemoaning Henry’s contribution.
He said: “I don’t really know what went through his mind at the time. He is one of the best footballers in the whole wide world.
“When he retires, everyone will remember Thierry Henry – or maybe they will remember Thierry Henry for that now.
“Apparently he said at the time that it just hit his hand, but I can’t believe that for one minute.
“If you see the replay, you see his eyes looking at the ball and you see his hand go up.”
Last night’s drama has simply served to convince Middlesbrough defender St Ledger that the time to introduce video technology is long overdue.
He said: “Even more so now, you need to bring replays in – we have got the technology there. It needs to happen, it’s as simple as that.
“I can’t believe FIFA will not consider it for whatever number of years they have decided, four years or something stupid like that. That might have helped.
“But it needs to happen sooner rather than later.
“It’s a boyhood dream for me to go and play in the World Cup and it’s been taken away.
“If it had gone to penalties, who knows? It’s a 50-50 kind of thing.”
While Henry was immediately cast in the role of villain by the whole of Ireland, St Ledger admitted the Republic would not have been complaining had it happened at the other end, and laid the blame more at the feet of the officials and the international game’s governing bodies.
He said: “It’s not about him doing it, it’s more that we need replays. The technology is there – the boys saw it straight away, 10, 15 seconds later and you can just tell from the players’ reaction.
“If you look at me, you look at [keeper] Shay [Given], we run straight to the referee, and that doesn’t happen unless something wrong has happened.
“I honestly don’t think the referee was sure, that’s my honest opinion.
“First of all, he was offside. Referees and linesmen have jobs to do, and that’s cost us.”
Ireland’s disappointment was all the more acute because of their existing sense of injustice over FIFA’s late decision to seed the play-offs, which pitched them into battle with France rather than one of the weaker qualifiers.
St Ledger said: “It’s a disgrace. From day one, it’s been against us.
“Halfway through the tournament, I don’t think you can decide to change the rules just because one of the so-called bigger nations is struggling.”
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