'French' cheat their way into World Cup

[Matra1]

France has qualified for next year's WC in South Africa thanks to a blatant hand ball by Thierry Henry in extra time which led to France's only goal of the match. (To make matters worse it was also offside).

Cheater Thierry Henry

Ex-Ireland international Tony Cascarino says Henry's reputation is ruined for good

Henry can say what he likes. No doubt he will plead his innocence. But to me, that handball was pure, calculated cheating. Accidental? He handballed it to keep it in, then slightly knocked it again to get it nicely on his right foot.

...Cheating in all its guises is slowly killing football and if Henry had held his hands up again and admitted to the referee that he had handled the ball and the goal should not stand, he would have earned the admiration of the entire sporting world. But he didn't. He knew that he had done wrong, but he put self-interest ahead of justice. He could have been a beacon of integrity; instead he shined shame on himself and on football. Edited by: Matra1

 

[Europe]

I'll have to see the play, but I would never "turn myself in" in a sporting match when you have officials. Maradona had a handball against England in '86 which knocked England out which I think were the quarterfinals in the World Cup. They should have instant replay. It's too bad the French team is a joke.

 

[Europe]

Take a look at this picture and tell me what country this team is from.[[url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/default.stm/URL]

 

[Europe]

The link didn't work.

 

[Matra1]

There is zero doubt he handled it. The Irish and British press are apoplectic about it, and on this occasion they are right. Here is a slighly better view of it.

Let's not forget Henry has a history of cheating, for example against Spain in the 2006 WC.

 

[Liverlips]

I heard the French side was much whiter this time. Any truth to that?

 

[Europe]

no doubt about it. Why don't the have an official standing next to the goal. It only took me watching a couple of games before I figured out they need more officials. It's been over 100 years since the game was invented and they haven't figured it out.

 

[Europe]

I am trying to get a hyperlink but it's not working.

 

[Karl Baxter]

Please, let's not call it the "French side;" let's call it the "French Foreign Legion."

 

[Rebajlo]

I heard the French side was much whiter this time. Any truth to that?

Only 5 of the 18 man squad were white: goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, defenders Julien Escude and Sebastien Squillaci, midfielder Yoann Gourcuff, and striker Andre Pierre Gignac.

Lloris, Escude, Gourcuff, and Gignac featured in the starting lineup. Squillaci came on early for the injuredEscude, while Gourcuff and Gignac were both substituted in the second half. By the end of the match, "France" had 9 Africans on the field. The photograph below says it all:

This abominable sightinstantly drivesme to near-apoplectic anger and precipitates the basest disgust. I can only imagine the revulsion and rage that a genuine patriotic Frenchmanmust be racked with each time his thoughts even remotely stray to football...

Henry is a cheat. The footage clearly shows him very deliberately using his hand. Any fool can see it. He has blatantlycheated in the past, yetthe media havealways portrayed him as a paragon of sportsmanship and fair play (no surprise there). The ridiculous excusesspouting from his ugly, thick-lipped mouth following this display are an insult to every fan, player and coach.
Edited by: Rebajlo

 

[Karl Baxter]

Let's not criticize the "Afro-French" team too much - after all, if Frenchmen are at all normal human beings, seeing their national team taken over by Africans in this way, must have a big effect on stimulating their racial consciousness.

I'd rather French Whites voted for the National Front than they had an all-White French team, because the former would, in time, lead to the latter anyway by reasserting the country's true identity.

 

[guest301]

It's very unfortunate that Ireland didn't make the World Cup as they would have been one of the teams I would have rooted for next year after the USA team. I would have loved to see the English and Irish meet up in say the quaterfinals and what a spectacle that would have been. Dang cheating French! But I will root for the Aussies, Danes and German team as well as the English and American teams.

 

[Jack Lambert]

I'd like Germany or the U.S. to win it all.
Look at Germany's refreshing diversity.

Since my ancestors came from Germany, I root for them. And of course, I root for the U.S. team. I like both of these teams.

 

[Matra1]

This is one the biggest world sports stories of the year. Check the European media in particular as virtually every paper has a commentary on it, many not just in the sports pages.

Irish soccer officials and politicians are calling for a replay of the match. The Irish PM (who is a total bastard btw) says FIFA has a 'Fair Play' slogan so it is time to enforce it. Henry's reputation has hit an all time low. He took dives to get France a crucial free kick and penalty against Spain and Portugal respectively in the last World cup. He's been a cheat for Arsenal as well.(He plays for Barcelona these days). It's not just his cheating, the replay of his reaction to the goal showed he felt no guilt.

Also, this has led to virtually every talk sport radio show discussing whether it is finally time for video replays. In Europe soccer is being compared unfavourably to rugby and cricket two sports that have successfully introduced video replays. Given how much effort the sport's various governing bodies put into advertising their cutting edge image this is quite embarrassing.Edited by: Matra1

 

[Matra1]

At Le Monde, France's establishment left newspaper (like the New York Times) there is a poll. So far 107,000+ have voted. It asks:

Do Les Bleus (the Blues, the French soccer team nickname) deserve their place at the World Cup?

Yes, they won their ticket in adversity - 12.4%

No, the Irish deserved it more, the referee saved the three-colored ones (France) - 87.6%

Le Monde

So the French sports fans aren't too jingoistic about their mostly black team. I wonder if American, Canadian, or English jocksniffers would be as open to reason?Edited by: Matra1

 

[guest301]

At Le Monde, France's establishment left newspaper (like the New York Times) there is a poll. So far 107,000+ have voted. It asks:

Do Les Bleus (the Blues, the French soccer team nickname) deserve their place at the World Cup?

Yes, they won their ticket in adversity - 12.4%

No, the Irish deserved it more, the referee saved the three-colored ones (France) - 87.6%

Le Monde

So the French sports fans aren't too jingoistic about their mostly black team. I wonder if American, Canadian, or English jocksniffers would be as open to reason?

Good point Matra. Very interesting poll results.

 

[guest301]

I'd like Germany or the U.S. to win it all.
Look at Germany's refreshing diversity.

Since my ancestors came from Germany, I root for them. And of course, I root for the U.S. team. I like both of these teams.

Four of my favorite international soccer players play on Germany's national team. Klose, Ballack, Schweinsteiger and Podolski(awesome pace).

 

[Matra1]

Henry admits to handling ball

"I will be honest, it was a handball. But I'm not the ref," Henry said. "I played it. The ref allowed it. That's a question you should ask him."

Quite the sportsman.

But Henry would not express any sympathy for the dejected Irish, preferring instead to pinpoint his own team's recent problems. "We suffered for two years, we have been having some problems with our press, our fans, with other people," Henry said. "It would have been better to do it in another way, but as I said, I'm not the ref."

Does he still stand like an equal of Roger Federer in those Gillette commercials?

 

[DixieDestroyer]

I don't follow soccer too much (although my kids play). However, I watched some of the Denmark vs. USA game at the gym the other day. Pulled for the much Whiter Danes, as the U.S. was chalk-full of "affletes". I was happy to see the Danes win...have a look at their "diversity"...

The Great (White) Danes

***France looks coal-black...let's hope they get knocked outta contention soon.



Edited by: DixieDestroyer

 

[Bart]

"I will be honest, it was a handball. But I'm not the ref," Henry said. "I played it. The ref allowed it. That's a question you should ask him."

Quite the sportsman.

But Henry would not express any sympathy for the dejected Irish, preferring instead to pinpoint his own team's recent problems. "We suffered for two years, we have been having some problems with our press, our fans, with other people," Henry said. "It would have been better to do it in another way, but as I said, I'm not the ref."

Typical Negro scruples.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Spain looks to be another good team to cheer for along with Germany and Denmark. Some more diversity.

The Italians look like another pretty much white team to cheer for.

Italy

Edited by: Jack Lambert

 

[Rebajlo]

Let's not criticize the "Afro-French" team too much - after all, if Frenchmen are at all normal human beings, seeing their national team taken over by Africans in this way, must have a big effect on stimulating their racial consciousness.

I'd rather French Whites voted for the National Front than they had an all-White French team, because the former would, in time, lead to the latter anyway by reasserting the country's true identity.

The problem is that although many Frenchmen may grumble about immigration, political correctness, et cetera, the majority somehow continue to vote for the "established"Â￾ left/right parties and entities which have collectively made the patently treasonous decisions that have led to today's miasmic situation throughout the western world. If "racial consciousness"Â￾ and the realisation that their own survival as a white nation is at stake are not driving factors at the ballot box by now, then it is almost too late. I know that the media is forever demonising the so-called Far Right movements Europe-wide, but at some point people need to rationally analyse things for themselves â€" something which, unfortunately, the white race seems to have practically lost the ability to do. One "ability" which they have gained is that of ignoring reality...
It's the same in the UK. People complain and complain, but when it comes to voting, the usual patterns surface. "My dad voted Labour, and so did his dad, and his dad before him. I always vote Labour and always shall"Â￾. Rot to that effect (insert "Conservative"Â￾, "Liberal Democrat"Â￾ /Lib-Dem antecedents or even Plaid Cymru and SNP in place of Labour depending on constituency). It's like people are fanatically supporting their "team"Â￾. No wonder all of those brainwashed fools keep turning up to football matches and chanting the traditional cries even when there are seven to eleven blacks who have absolutely nothing in common with them running about on the field in their club's colours.
To this day I am still sickened by the sight of a Newcastle United supporter basically in tears at the sale of Andy Cole to Man United in 1995. The ignorantclown was blubbering that he had named his recently-born son "Cole"Â￾ in honour of his damned "hero"Â￾ and now the "hero"Â￾ was gone. Imagine naming Your child after a black? Unbelievable. Odds on that the idiot is an equally rabid Labour man and shall loyally vote for Brown (if Brown is still around at the next election - if not, he'll vote for the next head Labour moron), despite the disastrous state of the nation. Hell, his son shall be doing likewise when he's eligible to vote.
I won't even begin to comment on the "mind"Â￾ of the Australian voter...Edited by: Rebajlo

 

[Matra1]

With 80% of the French saying their team doesn't deserve to go through, French government ministers expressing embarrassment, and the entire soccer world calling him a cheat, Thierry Henry is now - disingenuously - saying the match should be replayed. I say it is disingenuous because he wasn't apologising right after the incident but only after a Europe-wide uproar that has damaged his reputation (ie marketability$$$). He also knows it is very unlikely to happen. (Although FIFA did arbitrarily change their rules after the fact prior to the recent World Cup playoff draw in order to give the big countries($) a better chance of qualifying, so nothing is certain).

People around Europe are jokingly comparing the idea of a replay to the recent Lisbon Treaty referendum. The Irish electorate got the 'wrong' result the first time they voted so they were forced (mostly by the French!) to vote again. So what is goood enough for politics is good enough for soccer!

 

[Rebajlo]

Matra1 - You are 100% correct. Henry's sole motive is to salvage his so-called "reputation" (id est,his masterkey to continuingprodigiousfinancialbenefits).The "man"is utter shameless scum - a fact which, in the world of football, does not exactly make him unique, but the stark cynicism of this episode and it's wider ramifications magnifies his disgraceful attitudeimmeasurably.Funnily enough, a guy like Roger Federer is calling for Henry not to be villified...

It appears that all of the blame is being laid at the feet of the referee - apparently it's perfectly acceptable to cheat as long as you aren't caught. One aspect of the affair which infuriated me was that the Irish players actually shook hands with Henry, some even "sympathising" with him.Bloody amazing. The much-lauded concept of "Fair Play" seems to solely revolve around white players' language towards blacks and other non-whites

. Mind You, I wonder what FIFA's reaction would have been if an Irish player committed an identical offence which resulted in "France's" elimination? Or if the offender had been, let's say, a Slovenian. The "rules" only apply to certain people /nations, for as You mentioned, once it looked like France and Portugalcould miss out on qualification, the playoff draw suddenly became seeded...

 

[Europe]

It makes me mad that Roy Keane is criticizing the Irish team. Why doesn't he just be quiet.