Henry to be punished?

France's star striker Thierry Henry might be punished by Fifa for his handball last month in a World Cup qualifying game agianst Ireland.

If you missed it, Henry blatantly used his hand to keep a ball in play, then passed it to a wide open teammate who scored the game-winning goal. The goal led to France qualifying for the World Cup, and the whole country of Ireland falling into a state of depression the nation hasn't seen since the potato famine.

OK, so maybe they're not that depressed over it, but they were pretty pissed. They petitioned Fifa to replay the game. When that didn't work, they had the stones to ask France to replay the game. Once that failed, they asked Fifa to make an exception and put Ireland in the World Cup.

Well, now I see the Bottom Line on ESPN 2 reads "Fifa considering punishing Henry for the handball."

Really?

Is he really the man who should be punished for this incident? Well, he did committ the handball, but come on! The referees blew the call. I have never heard of a player being punished for a handball after a game. Henry didn't headbutt anyone, he didn't kick anyone in the junk. He hit the ball with his hand and contributed to Ireland having one more reason to drink heavily.

The man and his family have faced death threats. A whole country is probaby thinking up ways to cause him pain and citizens of his own country are calling him a blemish on the country. That's enough.

I still can't wrap my head around Fifa actually punishing a man for a handball. Just award Ireland a free kick next time the two teams play.

Stiff Little Fingers - Alternative Ulster