Thierry is so predictable

THE French team should know who they are and what they are after the win over Ireland. The handball by Thierry Henry was one of the worst I have ever seen in my life and it was in such a vital game at a vital stage too.

It's going to mean extra officials behind the goal and more cameras, too. Fifa needs to sort things out. France were fortunate to be in the playoffs, let alone the World Cup finals.

Saying things even themselves out is terrible. I hate that saying. I can't see how things can ever be evened out for the Ireland team. They don't get to go to the World Cup. I am sure they would have preferred to have been beaten by four or five goals than miss out to a handball goal from Henry.

He'll be getting plenty of stick wherever he goes now. He was held in high regard. It's all very disappointing. But then he can say he's playing in the World Cup.

To his credit, he hasn't tried to fudge things. After Fifa declined a request from Ireland to have the match replayed, Henry acknowledged it would have been "the fairest solution" to resolve the international outrage over the deciding goal.

"Of course, the fairest solution would be to replay the game but it is not in my control," Henry said in a statement issued to British media. "Naturally I feel embarrassed at the way that we won and feel extremely sorry for the Irish, who definitely deserve to be in South Africa.

"There is little more I can do apart from admit that the ball had contact with my hand leading up to our equalising goal and I feel very sorry for the Irish."

In the heat of the moment, with the ball coming at you at pace amid a crowd of bodies, it is easy to react in the way that Henry did. And I don't think too many other players would have done differently.

As for him confessing to the referee immediately after William Gallas headed over the line, that course of action is unlikely to have helped the Irish. The referee had already made his decision, signalled the goal and would not have changed his mind.

In the absence of a clear directive from the assistant referee, and without video replays, officials are highly unlikely to go back on their decisions with just the players' opinions to rely on.

Many in France are obviously embarrassed about the nature of the win. I read with particular interest Finance Minister Christine Lagarde's comments that she felt "very sad" that France had qualified for the World Cup by "cheating".

"Fifa would do well to look at the rules because I think it would be good, in such circumstances, to decide maybe to replay the match," Lagarde said on French radio.

"Firstly, we should respect the referee. Secondly we respect the rules. But if the rules are bad, they have to be challenged."

Fifa's argument that there are always unfair calls in games and it's not in the business of second guessing the calls made by referees is predictable.

Paul Parker is a former England and Manchester United player

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