On a Wednesday night in Paris in
November, 2009, Thierry Henry deliberately handled the ball twice while passing
it to William Gallas, who scored against the Republic of Ireland.
The Republic’s players went
ballistic, as well they should. They had seen the handball. The referee didn’t.
Their pleading got them nowhere. The goal counted. It was a playoff match to
decide whether France or Ireland would go to South Africa to play in the 2010
World Cup. France qualified and that was that.
Except it wasn’t. Thierry Henry
quickly admitted to illegal play, but said it was the referee’s job to
administer the game, not his. For a couple of days, it was the biggest story in
the world. A terrible injustice had been done. The Irish soccer authority
pleaded with FIFA to rethink the situation, suggesting the match be replayed or
Ireland offered a place at the World Cup.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter, already
in South Africa to talk up the tournament, revealed to an audience what the
Irish had requested. He sneered. And he laughed. He literally guffawed at the
nerve of the Irish.
A few days later, he apologized,
sort-of, for his rudeness. Shortly after that, FIFA quietly wrote a cheque to
the Irish soccer organization for €5-million. Hush money. This was only
revealed in the investigations last year that illuminated the crazy money going
into and out of the governing body of international soccer.
Where’s Sepp Blatter now? Disgraced,
removed from his job at FIFA and bleating about his innocence. Maybe he’s
banging fists on the pile of money he accumulated in his FIFA career. But who’s
sneering now?
For the first time since that
infamous night in Paris, Ireland will face France. Sunday afternoon in Lyons,
the two countries play in the second, knockout round of Euro 2016. The shadow
of the notorious handball incident hangs over the game, making it a delicious
revenge match. That’s what the commentators will say on TV. There are pundits
in newspapers who will say that too. There are Irish fans who will feel that
way. There are French fans who worry the Irish will feel that way. A great
grudge is held and the Irish want revenge.
Seven years is a long, long time in
soccer. Professional players are trained, not only to kick the ball and play as
a unit, but to forget the past. What happened before is gone, yesterday’s news.
It’s the next encounter that matters. Prepare for that, forget the past.
In an Irish context, that is
codswallop. Long memories, have the Irish. What happened three hundred years
ago is a fresh wound, an outrage that calls for retribution. The Irish hold
grievances, with a livid indignation longer that Canada has been a country. One
hundred and fifty years is yesterday. Seven years is five minutes ago.
Republic of Ireland manager Martin
O’Neill has been circumspect about the revenge-plot subtext of Sunday’s game.
“I think we have decided to forget about it. I think that it will be a talking
point but I don’t think it will concern us when we play the game,” O’Neill said
on Thursday at the Ireland training camp.
Well, he would say that. O’Neill is
hardly going to reveal in advance that, in the dressing room, he will quietly
tell his players that this is the chance to revenge a great injustice – knock
France out of the tournament they’re hosting. Make them ashamed, make them feel
the sting of defeat, because they deserve it. No manager is going to reveal in
advance his motivational talk.
Besides, many of his ragtag group of
players – professionals, but nowhere near the level of France’s superstars in
talent and fame – were not playing for Ireland on that night of notoriety in
2009. They were simply fans, watching as part of an outraged nation. In 2009,
Robbie Brady, who scored the goal that defeated Italy, was 17 years old and had
just joined Manchester United’s youth academy.
A kid. In 2009, Seamus Coleman,
who was captain of Ireland in the victory against Italy, was a bewildered 21-year-old
who had landed in Liverpool to play for Everton, having spent his early career
playing as a semi-professional for Sligo Rovers in Ireland. These men have long
memories. They are Irish to the core. Professional short-term memory, be
damned. There’s a revenge to be exacted.
Interestingly, Thierry Henry declined to speak about the
handball incident as soon as Ireland was scheduled to play France. Not a word
could be extracted from him on the topic. When told of this, O’Neill couldn’t
resist the wry reply, “Well, there’s a surprise!”
As for the Irish and French media’s
buildup to the game, the handball incident isn’t something they’ve decided to
ignore. The populist newspaper 20 Minutes, declared: “Les Irlandais disent
avoir oublié la main de Thierry Henry - mais ils n’en pensent pas un mot.”
Which translates as, “The Irish say they’ve forgotten the hand of Thierry Henry
– but they’ve not forgotten a word.” You can bet your blarney on it, boys and
girls.
Of course, Ireland goes into the
match as underdogs. The best you can get is 9/1 odds betting on them. They have
had less rest time than France. The victory over Italy took a lot out of these
honest, but in many cases ordinary, players. The climax of the Italy match is
unlikely to be reached again. A once-in-a-generation thing.
But, you know, France is vulnerable.
Dimitri Payet has saved games but he’s just one player. The great midfielder
Paul Pogba seemed to engage and disengage in the three games to date. The
defence isn’t solid – certainly less solid than Italy’s – and vulnerable in
set-piece situations.
And karma counts. France went to
South Africa and imploded, exiting early, after bad results and embarrassing
infighting. Karma could count again. At least, that’s what The Republic of
Ireland is hoping.
Northern Ireland and Republic of
Ireland fans will receive an award from the mayor of Paris for their
"exemplary sportsmanship" during Euro 2016.
The medal, known as the Grand
Vermeil, is regarded as Paris' most prestigious honour and has been awarded to
a variety of cultural and political figures.
Both teams reached the knockout
stages but exited Euro 2016 last weekend.
"They participated in the
festive atmosphere that has been prevailing in Paris these last two
weeks," said Jean-François Martins, deputy mayor for sport and tourism.
"They are a model for all the
supporters of the world.
"As shown in the numerous videos
that circulate on the social networks, the Parisians particularly appreciated
meeting them, speaking with them and sharing those joyful moments that are
essential in such a great sportive event."
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