Swedish media blasts Swedish referees over Thierry Henry debacle

It wasn't French striker Thierry Henry who was at fault for cheating, it was Swedish referee Martin Hansson and his two Swedish assistants who were to blame for not spotting the infraction.

So says one of Sweden's top newspapers, Aftonbladet, which said Ireland has every right to be furious with the match officials who on Wednesday failed to see Henry's handball foul that set up the goal that clinched France's place in the 2010 World Cup.

"There are approximately 80 million Irishmen around the world," one Aftonbladet columnist wrote. "We guarantee they all feel pretty bad today.

"But I sincerely hope there are three Swedes who feel even worse. They are Martin Hansson, Stefan Wittberg and Fredrik Nilsson. 

"There will be no World Cup for Ireland, and I assume that Team Hansson has also forfeited its right to continue to take charge of major international matches. Anything else would be a further insult to the Irish nation."

Meanwhile, Ireland's soccer federation today appealed to FIFA to have the game replayed, but the request was likely to fall on deaf ears.

Having achieved its aim, through fair means or foul, FIFA is not going to reverse course and open the door for France to be kicked out of the World Cup.

-- Grahame L. Jones

Related: Thierry Henry's violation gets a thumbs-down in Europe

Photo: Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given, left, argues with referee Martin Hansson after France scores a goal during a World Cup qualifying match on Wednesday. Credit: Francois Mori / Associated Press

Thierry Henry handball video [UPDATED]

The French are in and the Irish are out.

That is the plain and simple fact of the matter.

But did France in the person of Thierry Henry cheat its way into the World Cup in South Africa next year? That's a question that will be debated long and loud in the wake of Henry's apparent deliberate handling of the ball before William Gallas' goal secured the French their ticket to the tournament at Ireland's expense.

This is what the goal looked like. I have viewed it a half-dozen times or more and still cannot make up my mind. Did Henry touch the ball or was his hand merely in its vicinity? If he did handle it, the goal should have been nullified by Swedish referee Martin Hansson (kind of an ironic name, incidentally--Hands On).

The Irish fans in Paris chanted "cheat, cheat" at Henry. The goal will stand. There is no appeal process. If FIFA has any doubts about the call, or non-call, it will be reflected in Hansson's not being called up to officiate at the World Cup. That will not placate the Irish, but there isn't much else to be done.

[UPDATED, 10:33 a.m.: FIFA announced today it is looking into Ireland's formal request for a replay.]

Diego Maradona got away with it in 1986, in much more blatant circumstances. Henry, if he did cheat, did it much more quickly and subtly than the Argentine.

You make the call, and let us know. Did Henry handle the ball or not? Is Irish rage justified?

-- Grahame L. Jones

RELATED STORY

Thierry Henry admits he cheated; how should he be punished?

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Thursday's poll: What should FIFA do about the Thierry Henry handball violation?

There have been several ideas among the hundreds of comments we have received on Thierry Henry's obvious handball in the France-Ireland World Cup qualifier. We have taken the best six ideas for punishment, and put them in this poll. So, what should FIFA do? Vote now and let your voice be heard, then leave a comment letting us know why you voted the way you did.

-- Houston Mitchell

RELATED STORY

France cheats its way to World Cup bid.

2010 World Cup field complete as Uruguay qualifies

The 32 World Cup teams are set and the soccer world now awaits the Dec. 4 draw in Cape Town, South Africa, when the groups will be determined for first-round play starting June 11.

Two-time winner Uruguay clinched the last place in the quadrennial world championship when it tied Costa Rica, 1-1, at Centenario Stadium in Montevideo tonight after defeating the Ticos, 1-0, in San Jose, Costa Rica, on Saturday.

Sebastian Abreu put Uruguay in the lead in the 69th minute, only for Walter Centeno to tie it up four minutes later and keep fans of both countries on edge until the final whistle, which came only after an agonizing seven-plus minutes of stoppage time.

With the two-year global qualifying campaign finally at an end -- only two more years before qualifying for Brazil 2014 begins! -- it will be the Costa Rican players and their fans who reflect longest about how close they came.

Costa Rica was literally only seconds away from securing its place when Chivas USA's Jonathan Bornstein scored the injury time goal for the U.S. that sent Honduras through instead and consigned Costa Rica to a playoff against Uruguay.

The addition of Uruguay to the tournament means that all seven previous winners are in the field: Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Italy and Uruguay.

The best thing about Uruguay qualifying? South Africans, whose own national team can't buy a goal, get to see what a real striker looks like in the shape of Atletico Madrid's Diego Forlan.

-- Grahame L. Jones

Did Thierry Henry (handball) cheat France into the World Cup?

The French are in and the Irish are out.

That is the plain and simple fact of the matter.

But did France in the person of Thierry Henry cheat its way into the World Cup in South Africa next year? That's a question that will be debated long and loud in the wake of Henry's apparent deliberate handling of the ball before William Gallas' goal secured the French their ticket to the tournament at Ireland's expense.

This is what the goal looked like. I have viewed it a half-dozen times or more and still cannot make up my mind. Did Henry touch the ball or was his hand merely in its vicinity? If he did handle it, the goal should have been nullified by Swedish referee Martin Hansson (kind of an ironic name, incidentally--Hands On).

The Irish fans in Paris chanted "cheat, cheat" at Henry. The goal will stand. There is no appeal process. If FIFA has any doubts about the call, or non-call, it will be reflected in Hansson's not being called up to officiate at the World Cup. That will not placate the Irish, but there isn't much else to be done.

Diego Maradona got away with it in 1986, in much more blatant circumstances. Henry, if he did cheat, did it much more quickly and subtly than the Argentine.

You make the call, and let us know. Did Henry handle the ball or not? Is Irish rage justified?

-- Grahame L. Jones

RELATED STORY

Thierry Henry admits he cheated; how should he be punished?

Do you have a Facebook page? Become a fan of the Times' Sports Facebook page and get World Cup news and other sports news delivered to your Facebook page.

Overtime goal against Ireland puts France in 2010 World Cup

France, which won the 1998 World Cup as host and lost the 2006 final to Italy on penalty kicks in Germany, today was taken to overtime by Ireland in Paris but eventually managed a 1-1 tie that secured the French their ticket to South Africa.

A goal by veteran William Gallas in the 104th minute canceled out a 33rd-minute goal by Ireland's Robbie Keane and gave Les Bleus a 2-1 aggregate victory over two games.

Coach Raymond Domenech's team had beaten the Irish, 1-0, in Dublin on Saturday on a goal by Nicolas Anelka that deflected into the net off defender Sean St. Ledger.

France became the 31st team to reach next year's 32-nation tournament, with only the Uruguay-Costa Rica playoff series yet to be decided. That game is later this afternoon in Montevideo, Uruguay, with the South Americans holding a 1-0 advantage after the first match in San Jose, Costa Rica. Check back here for the final result.

In all today, Algeria, Greece, Slovenia, Portugal and France have qualified for the World Cup. See earlier posts.

-- Grahame L. Jones

Related story

Did France cheat its way into the World Cup?

Photo: France's William Gallas, right, is congratulated by teammates Alou Diarra, center, and Bacary Sagna after scoring against Ireland on Wednesday. Credit: Laurent Rebours / Associated Press

Slovenia knocks out Russia on way to World Cup, joining Portugal

Perennial power Russia will not be competing in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after it suffered a shock playoff defeat at the hands of Slovenia today.

The Russians, who had beaten Slovenia, 2-1, in Moscow on Saturday, were in turn beaten, 1-0, in Maribor, Slovenia, on a goal by Zlatko Dedic just moments before halftime. That left the aggregate score tied at 2-2 but Slovenia advanced to the World Cup on the basis of its away goal in Russia.

Russia, coached by Dutch legend Guus Hiddink and featuring one of the world's top stars in Andrei Arshavin, had two players red-carded in the second half, first losing Alexander Kerzhakov in the 66th minute and then seeing winger Yuri Zhirkov ejected in the final minute.

Portugal also secured its place in South Africa with a 1-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in Zenica, Bosnia, where Raul Meireles scored the 56th-minute winner. The Portuguese, playing without injured star Cristiano Ronaldo, advanced, 2-0 on aggregate.

Only two places in the June 11-July 11 World Cup remain up for grabs, with France playing Ireland in a match in progress in Paris and Uruguay playing Costa Rica later today. Check back here for results of those games.

-- Grahame L. Jones

Greece stuns Ukraine to qualify for soccer's 2010 World Cup

Greece, which surprised the soccer world by winning the European Championship in 2004 with a series of gritty defensive displays, surprised it again today.

After being held to a 0-0 tie in Athens in the first game of its 2010 World Cup playoff series with Ukraine, the Greeks were underdogs for the return match in Donetsk, Ukraine, but a first-half goal by Dimitris Salpigidis near the half-hour mark earned Greece a famous 1-0 victory.

That was enough to make it the 28th country to secure its place in the June 11-July 11 World Cup in South Africa. It is the second time Greece has qualified for the World Cup, the only previous occasion being the 1994 tournament in the U.S.

Earlier today, Algeria clinched its place by defeating Egypt, 1-0.

Check back here later today for results of the final four playoff series between Bosnia-Portugal, Slovenia-Russia, France-Ireland and Uruguay-Costa Rica.

-- Grahame L. Jones

Photo: Greece celebrates after defeating Ukraine in a World Cup qualifying match on Wednesday. Credit: Thanassis Stavrakis / Associated Press

Algeria defeats Egypt to qualify for soccer's 2010 World Cup

Algeria qualified for soccer's 2010 World Cup in South Africa today when it defeated Egypt, 1-0, in a winner-take-all playoff game in Khartoum, Sudan.

The decisive goal was scored by defender Antar Yahia five minutes before halftime.

The playoff at a neutral venue was necessary because the teams ended their qualifying group tied on points and on all subsequent tiebreakers.

The background to Wednesday's match was marred by fan violence. Algeria's team bus was pelted with rocks when the team arrived in Cairo for the final qualifying game last week, and several players were cut by flying glass.

After Egypt's 2-0 victory on a goal five minutes into stoppage time that forced the playoff, Algerian fans in France staged a riot in Marseilles that included the smashing of shop windows and the sinking of two boats in the French harbor.

Germany's likely World Cup goalkeeper Robert Enke killed by a train

Germany's World Cup plans suffered a devastating blow today when Robert Enke, the starting goalkeeper on the national team, was struck and killed by a train at Neustadt am Rubenberge in what police said appeared to be a suicide.

Enke, 32, played for Hannover 96 in the German Bundesliga and had made eight appearances for the national team, which has qualified for next year's tournament in South Africa.

News of Enke's death was announced by Martin Kind, Hannover's president, and a subsequent police statement said that "first indications are that it was a suicide."

Kind said Enke had appeared "unstable" recently. He and his wife lost their 2-year-old daughter to a heart ailment in 2006.

Even though he had not been selected to play for Germany in matches against the Ivory Coast on Saturday and Chile on Nov. 18, Enke was considered the leading candidate to start at the World Cup, according to national team Coach Joachim Loew.

-- Grahame L. Jones

Photo: Robert Enke takes part in a training session with the German national team in September. Credit: Stuart Franklin / Bongarts/Getty Images