Game Injustice, Personal Justice

Wednesday's contentious World Cup qualifer between France and Ireland has the sports world (well, the non-American one) buzzing. In case you missed it, with Ireland leading 0-1 in extra time, and the match going to penalties, Thierry Henry, one the best players in the world, used his hand twice - blatantly and deliberately - to control a ball that led to France's equalizer. France advanced to the 2010 World Cup finals while Ireland went home. It is incontrovertible that Henry cheated and many, including the Republic of Ireland, have pleaded for a replay. Nonetheless, Fifa and the French Football Federation have denied any calls or appeals for a replay.

I would like to address several issues from the incident:

1) Should a replay be granted? Yes, a game of such magnitude - qualification for the World Cup almost means life and death for many nations - should not settled on an illegal incident. During the match, Ireland outplayed France and deserved penalties to settle the incident. Granted, even without the incident, Ireland wasn't guaranteed to advance, but having a replay would settle the matter in a less controversial way. There is plenty of time in the upcoming months to hold a replay.

2) Is Fifa's position justified? No, by flatly refusing to consider a replay, Fifa underscored its inherent undemocratic hypocrisy. As the governing body for the sport, it alone has jurisdiction and the responsibility to enforce the laws of the game. At the very least, it should take time to consider. Fifa's position in any other context would be a travesty of justice unbecoming of the 21st century. It weakens its so-called commitment for "fair play" - how can Fifa expect the sport's players and followers to be fair when it itself cannot? Moreover, Fifa's action even calls into question its long-established independence from governmental oversight and regulation.

3) What does the incident hold for Thierry Henry's career? When Henry retires, what he failed to accomplish will outshine what he did. I admit that Henry is a terrific player who has won nearly every trophy to be won (World Cup, UEFA Champions League). But as a person, he comes off as aloof and even conceited: his continual self-promoting celebrations, his refusal to talk to reporters, his complicated family life. As a leader, he failed, such as leaving Arsenal at its critical developmental stage in 2007, and failing to unite the French dressing room. Now, with this act of dishonesty, his legacy will suffer more. His apology today came off too late, weak on its grounding, and a bit insincere.