Deserve? Deserve’s got nothing to do with it
“Everything I’ve learned about human morality and duty, I’ve learned from football” – Albert Camus
We might like to think that what Albert Camus said was true. We might like to believe that some footballers are still Corinthians, happy to play just for the love of the game. We might like to believe that honesty, integrity, and fair play are at the heart of the game we love. We might like to believe that the best team always wins.
But that’s not football. It never has been, and never will be. At the end of the day, football matches are won and lost in part due to luck, in part due to skill, and in part due to an ability to bend the rules in the favour of one side. Football, like life, is fundamentally unfair and often disappointing.
Ireland learned this lesson (again) in the harshest possible fashion yesterday evening when they were robbed in Paris by a blatant handball by Thierry Henry. First things first though: Ireland were magnificent last night. It was arguably the best performance by an Irish side since the 2002 World Cup and should silence Giovanni Trapattoni’s doubters, chiefly Eamon Dunphy and Johnny Giles. Not only did Ireland defend brilliantly for 120 minutes against one of the world’s most potent front lines, they also played some brilliant football. On numerous occasions, Ireland split the French defence with some slick passing moves and would have avoided extra time if Duff or Keane had put away their one-on-ones (There’s a sentence I thought I’d never write). Who needs Andy Reid? Ireland have taken huge strides under Trapattoni and can be immensely proud of their performance over two legs against France.
In the end, they were undone by an unlucky deflection in the first match and an act of cheating in the second. Nothing could really be done about the first, it was luck, pure and simple. The second, on the other hand…Unlike many people, I will not be blaming the referee or linesman. They both had pretty good games, with the linesman correctly giving a close offside call against Govou just before the goal and the referee combining well with the linesman to ignore Anelka’s tumble over Given. The latter decision was particularly good, because those decisions so often go the way of strikers, who aim to fall over a prone ‘keeper, rather than run around them. It wasn’t a dive and it wasn’t a penalty.
For the hand of Thierry, neither official was at fault. In a crowded penalty area, it was impossible for either of them to see Henry’s hand, which was hidden from the referee by McShane’s and Henry’s bodies, and from the linesman by Given. Do you know who could see it though? The fourth official, who has access to a video screen, could have seen exactly what Trapattoni could; judging by the latter’s reaction.
What should have happened in this case and should happen in the future would be for the fourth official to have a word in the ear of the referee. How long would have that have taken? Thirty seconds maybe? In general, I am not hugely in favour of video evidence being brought into football; football is far too fluid a game to be constantly stopped so that managers/players can challenge the referee. However, in situations in which the ball has already gone dead (for example, the ball has gone in after a suspected handball, or the ball has gone behind after a possible penalty), surely the referee, if he, even with the help of his linesman, is unsure of what decision to give, could throw it over to the fourth official, who has access to video. It would certainly have prevented France’s goal last night (as would the Europa League’s fifth official, incidentally).
Sadly, for Ireland, any rule changes will come too late. France won the game, unfairly, yes, but they’ve won. That’s it, that’s the game. There won’t be a replay, France won’t be kicked out of the World Cup, Thierry Henry won’t get a ban. Unfair and cruel in all its glory, that’s football.
Still, it’s just a game, eh?
Shane Murray
