Friday 20 November 2009

Ban Henry for 8 months - A logical argument

[This was written by my brother Jonathan]

I am an amateur footballer and have played competively every season for the last 24 years. I play both gaelic football and (soccer) football. Being an amatuer means I play the game for the love of the game. To play professionally was always a dream of mine (and still is!). Nevertheless I train hard and play fair every week. I would like to take this opportunity to knock a few holes in the arguments of those who cannot or will not accept the blatent reality that Henry is a cheat, did cheat intentionally, and in the interest of football and sport in general should be banned from competitive action for at least 8 months.
First lets look at his statement and analyse its implications -
“I will be honest, it was a handball. But I’m not the ref. I played it, the ref allowed it. That’s a question you should ask him.”.
Ok, so by that logic Henry is saying it is perfectly acceptable to cheat if you feel you have a chance of getting away with it, and it is the responsibility of the officials to determine who is cheating and who is competing fairly.
Therefore fair play is optional and at the discretion of the player, while justice is ambiguous and prone to misjudgement and human error.
Are we living on the same planet?
Graeme Souness says "it wasn't intentional, we've all done it, if you've been a professional for five minutes everybodies done it"
So by that logic to move from being an amateur to a professional one must accept and indeed practice the art of cheating. This is the same man who week in and week out slates the likes of Didier Drogba for diving, yet in this instance he has shown his true colours. He believes in cheating, he considers it necessary for professional sport.
Kevin Doyle (surprisingly) says "its a natural reaction, i don't blame the player, if he's done it and got away with it fair dues to him"
Perhaps Kevin is being overly generous, he himself is the epitomy of honesty and I do not believe for a second that had he been in that position he would have done the same. However he lives in a world where cheating is clearly endemic and seems to be brainwashed into believing in the logic of Henrys argument outlined above.
Kevin Kilbane says 'its not so much Theirry Henry, its the officials, the official should have seen it"
I am often accused of swimming against the tide, well so be it, I believe that cheating is cheating, it is totally dishonest and is the total responsibility of the perpetrator and not the officials charged with refereeing the affair. Would you excuse a blatant murderer, whom everyone knew was guilty and who admitted the offence simply because his trial collapsed on a technicality, i think not?

Now lets look at FIFA and the 'Fair Play' movement
Quoting directly from the FIFA Fair Play website...
"The Fair Play Campaign was conceived largely as an indirect result of the 1986 FIFA World Cup™ in Mexico, when the handball goal by Diego Maradona stimulated the admirable reaction of the England coach, Sir Bobby Robson" and "the campaign has...the unconditional support of ...current [FIFA] President Joseph S. Blatter"
...and from the Fair Play Code...
"1. Play Fair...Playing fair earns respect, while cheating only brings shame. Remember: it is only a game. And games are pointless unless played fairly."
"3. Observe the Laws of the Game"
"5. Promote the interests of football ... Think of football's interests before your own. Think how your actions may affect the image of the game.... Encourage other people to watch and play fairly."

Henry has clearly cheated, yet he has laid the blame at the feet of the referee, he has not observed the laws of the game and he has certainly not promoted the interests of football, in fact what he has done is encourage others to cheat if necessary and deflect responsibilty onto others.

He has clearly brought the game of footbal into disrepute.

"9. Denounce those who attempt to discredit our sport ... Do not be ashamed to stand up to anybody who you are sure is trying to make others cheat or engage in other unacceptable behaviour. It is better to expose them and have them removed before they can do any damage. It is equally dishonest to go along with a dishonest act. Do not just say no. Denounce those misguided persons who are trying to spoil our sport before they can persuade somebody else to say yes."

The Fair Play Campaign has the unconditional support of President Sepp Blatter. The argument is therefore clear and unambiguous, he must impose the principles of Fair Play if he is to have any credibility, he must remove Henry from football before he can do any [more] damage'.

The length of the ban is discretionary but at the very least it must include the World Cup, after all what meaning will a few flags with Fair Play written on them have at the greatest show on Earth if the men standing behind the flag are none other than Thierry Henry and Sepp Blatter?

If Blatter does not take the necessary action then it is he who must be removed from football be fore he can do any more damage!!! Print this post

21 comments:

board tc said...

Well said Jonathan, you have brought me further onto the Henri is a cheater side I have to say.

Declan Waugh also quoted Fifa ethics when calling for a replay.

mcg said...

Well written and convincing argument. Also, apparently, Robbie Keane handled the ball at least 3 times during the game, I didn't notice and not sure if frees were awarded. But that's not the point - I absolutely agree that Henry (note spelling Tom!) should serve a ban, hence my call in another post for 6 game WC match ban thereby ruling the French captain out of next year's World Cup (unless of course we win the replayed match!). The UEFA / FIFA silence on this matter is a disgrace. The UEFA match report yesterday didn't even MENTION the incident.

board tc said...

Uefa says:

"And so came extra time where in the eighth minute a hopeful France free-kick found its way to Henry, who squared for Gallas to head the goal that takes his country to South Africa."

mcg said...

Strong words from Keano. Still your hero?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/8370327.stm

j-) said...

Keano makes the point that france were there for the taking and we didn't finish them off, i genuinely thought that robbie keane should have and could have done it, but when is the last time robbie scored two vital goals for ireland in one game? as usual his nerves got the better of him in a green jersey and he couldn't do what he does every week for tottenham

a replay would be nice but i don't think ireland would beat them in a replay

we need to calm down, take the moral victory, and come back strnger in the future

calling for a replay is just silly nonsense but demanding that justice be done is not

for the good of football, henry has to go!!!

mcg said...

FIFA has announced there will be no reply. Henry has just released a statement calling for a reply, knowing that it now won't happen. How convenient.

j-) said...

Delaney says 'there is a team that should be in the world cup and thats us'. Why? On what basis can he draw that conclusion? None, So yes Keano has every right to slate such a preposterous suggestion. I'm listening to the argument put forward by delaney right now and he is clutching at straws, he's a muppet and always was, the only reason he's disappointed is the loss of revenue, and not being able to wear his blazer in first class while the workers sit back with the riffraff j-)

board tc said...

From a footballing standpoint I agree with Keane but all the points I have been making still stand. now is the time to stop the cheating (which video replay would do) and rid the game of this cancer.

mcg said...

ALL the points, Tom, are you sure? You were calling for a replay as well remember: "I only want one result, a replay". We all agree on Henry and those who cheat being punished.

Martino said...

Calling for a replay is silly nonsense because it was never going to happen. Wanting a replay is anyones right and I still want a replay. Hope you will be marching to the French embassy tomorrow Dave. Can't believe Henry comes out and says we deserved to win and it should be replayed...jaysus, I have heard it all now

mcg said...

"Henry admits replay 'the fairest solution'" appears on the Irish Times literally 10 minutes after FIFA announce the replay can't happen. What a joke. And that Henry article doesn't work either, presumably because 4 million people tried to click on it at the same time!

board tc said...

All the points, of course. A replay is #1. always has been, we want a fair chance at qualifying for the world cup and were not given it in extra time.

I am disgusted with this attitude that we should not call for a replay as it would never happen. Why not?

So should they continue to try and reach agreements for the Climate change conference in Copenhagen next month, or give up as it'll never happen?

Why can FIFA not be pushed, so what if there is little precedent, pushing is often how things change.

Wenger wants a replay. Henry wants a replay. Why is this silly nonsense Martin? Are you saying we can't change the world?

Martino said...

Mmmm, I think Jonathan said that! Maybe I was trying to clarify his point to Dave. As I already said, I want a replay and the only way it could happen is to keep this in the spotlight. I am with you Tom :)

mcg said...

On a lighter note.

Martino said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Martino said...

jonathans original post is now here http://rocketboy15.blogspot.com/

mcg said...

Try again: Click here for 20 Major

board tc said...

@McG - brilliant, I scored every time in that game, just like shooting hoops

board tc said...

Henry the cheat compilation on YouTube

j-) said...

just to clarify the silly nonsense bit - john delaney calling for a replay on the basis that ireland were robbed IS nonsense because technically we were not robbed, had the score been 2-2 in extra time and then henry scored the cheatballhandgoal then we would have been robbed, however, Theirry Henry now offering to replay the game is NOT silly nonsense as he is the main prtaganist here and only he can repair the damage he has caused, however nothing less than him demanding and succeeding in having the game replayed will convince me that he is and always was nothing other than a pompous cheat, just remember he is the guy who made fashionable the absolutely deplorable act of running the ball to the corner flag for the last five minutes of a game when you are winning, the writing was on the wall for a long time, this guy should be booted out of football, and by the way if there is a replay, should he play? if he now admits to foul play then he must recieve a punishment of a fine and a least a one-match suspension?

board tc said...

A wordle tag cloud generated from the post-match twitter conversations about Ireland’s tragic ‘defeat’ in the world cup playoffs.

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