SOCCERVOICE.COM, 26.11.2009
Henry not to blame, the ref must decide in football

Thierry Henry was blamed for unsporting behaviour, destroyer of fair-play and a cheat after France qualified for the World Cup. It was no problem for Henry to admit that it was clearly a hand ball
 

Henry probably new, after the goal was allowed, that he would be public enemy number one in Ireland. But is he really the one to blame.

We all remember Diego Maradona's hand of God, and in the heat of the moment with so much on stake, who wouldn't try to score even if it was with the hand ?

This is why we have referees in the game and they should be the once to blame. For people who are distant to the situations out on the field and have no pressure on their shoulders it could be easy to judge.

Thierry Henry is by many rated as one of the great gentlemen of this sport and he is one of the best.

Roy Keane described the episode well. He said that no one talked about fair play when Ireland got a goal allowed against another opponent. Everyone knew it was a gift from the referee.

Football is a pretty fast game at the highest level and the referees are often blamed for doing the wrong decission, this was absolutely one of them.

FIFA will certainly once again look at the possibillty to give referees in such important games a chance to watch a video afterwards. This could give referees a chance to reconsider after watching the incident more clearly.

Humans are still part of the game and errors will also be a fact in the future. Will we all like a game that is more predictable and 100% free for errors ?

TV coverage and all chances of replay makes all of us fantastic referees, but without that help we would probably end up with more wrong answers than the men in black.