World Cup - French fans embarrassed with team
Most people in France do not think their team deserves to be in the 2010 World Cup and did not approve of Thierry Henry's handball that helped secure a finals place, according to an opinion poll.
Henry clearly handled the ball when setting up a late, decisive goal in the second leg of their playoff against Ireland last week, winning France a place in the World Cup finals.
But an OpinionWay poll for French state television said 81 per cent of French people did not think their national team deserved to go to South Africa given their unconvincing performances throughout the qualifying stages.
An even bigger 88 per cent said Henry was wrong to have used his hand to keep the ball in play and thereby create the vital scoring opportunity.
The contested victory has dominated French media over the past five days, with much soul searching about the notion of fair play in sport.
Henry, who has been vilified on the Internet, has denied cheating and said he wanted to see a replay against Ireland.
FIFA has ruled that the result should stand and that France rather than Ireland should take part in the World Cup.
OpinionWay pollsters questioned 1,003 people on November 20-21.
Comment 68 - 87 of 87
The French are arrogant... I am actually glad that they are going to S Africa. Can not wait to c them getting hampered by other teams, and knock out in the first group.
As french, I must admit that I am very far to be proud of the way my team get its ticket for South Africa and if it was possible, I would ask for a extra support match, so the field law would prevail. But FIFA law seems to say that is is not possible for any reasons.
Imagine we could replay a game, because the ref did not take the right decision, then it would allow so many supporters from all over the world to ask for older game replay, and ammong them I guess that the Georgian fans would ask for a replay of their game versus Ireland in bebruary 2009, when Ireland had a penalty which allowed the green team to egalise at 1-1 just after a hand from Robbie Keane were missed by the referee...
Did anyone from the Irish team came to the refferee at this moment saying that the first (and only real fault) was an Irish one ? No !
So asking someone to act in a way you are net ready to is not that fair, I guess!
And without this lucky result in this game Ireland would not have reached the next step of the qualification games... isn't it some kind of Irony ??
And Still I am ashamed of this action and believe this is a terrible exemple for the kids, as it promotes cheating as a possible option for wining a game.
I really support the idea of a post blame on the player guilty of such act.
for djej in referance to your message in response to luca. i corect you, its false that italy doesn`t accept blacks. there are as many blacks as anywhere else. in referance to the BLACK SHIRT that was over 80years ago. as a result if the black shirts were still around there wouldm`t be any of these problems such as match fixing or mafia.
All this talk of Irish having to get over it is rubbish, they were cheated big style, OK the Irish will have other chances in years to come, but some of the players will not, it was probably their only chance of ever taking part in the World Cup finals and representing their beloved country of birth. They were cruely cheated of this chance by a player i once respected but now have no time for at all. I hope his action hurts him severely in the pocket.
Us Irish seriously need to get over this incident. The simple facts are that even though we played exceptionally well,we did not have the class of striker to convert the 4 easy chances we missed on the night.We should have walked away with at least a 3.0 scoreline.France were rocked and we should have destroyed them.We also had the chance to pip a poor Italy team in the qualifying group.
Our other problem was that we only had rubbish substitutes to bring on and they were awful.We had much better alternatives that didnt even make the squad
We were not good enough.End of story.Lets get behind England now as they have their best chance since 66
Luca, you definitly right: there are ethnic or social troubles in France. And you are right that most of the French team players are black and therefore from other locations descendants... So yes they are French with also another country in their heart, just like the italian of USA, of France or everywhere else... But it's too easy to blame the French this way while your country never allowed the blacks to enter your country (except the black shirts maybe), We may have lot of players with italian origins as well... probably that we welcomed your people while they needed to leave their country... And, Lucas, your nice country and Nice people, it's also the country of Mafia, Match fixing, and diving in the penalty area etc... your message is useless. Ciao!
CAN WE GET OVER IT ALREADY.... pleeeeeeze!!!!!! so the dude cheated and prevented penalty shoot out, Ireland might have won (or not), come to SA and been kicked out in the first round (or last last 16- i sure don't see them winning the WC) etc, etc. lets rather go on about something that will change the game for the better- lets bug FIFA about introducing video technology to assist with decision making in football(during and after the match). This will ensure that dubious decisions don't put teams at a disadvantage... and to the Irish... you also got a decision in your favour against Georgia and did not scream rematch so please do us all a favour and GET OVER IT!
If I were French Team Coach, I would not call Henry to join the team. What a shame.....!!!
“The day after the match and the next day, I felt alone, really alone,” Henry told.
Oh poor little thing, and what about the millions of people from Ireland felt after being disqualified?
He says: “I don’t think that everything I’ve achieved can be tarnished.” It's true, but He will be a world wide cheater walking on earth.
He said "...But honestly, it was uncontrollable" really? check the video on you tube Dirty Thierry "Henry The Cheater" (Captain Cheater)
And please Dirty Thierry DO NOT QUIT, I want you to be booed every time you put a foot on a soccer field!
Jesus! Seeing as how you clearly love the sound of your own voice it's amazing anyone else manages to get a word in. Sadly, like most people with verbal diarrhoea, you talk a lot but don't actually say anything.
FIFA wants france in the WC at all cost because IT IS an african team, maybe the best african team in the tournament , I say it as a compliment to the players ( even though handy/ henry is the shame there) most of the players are good talents AFRICAN/FRENCH , AFRICAN/CARRIBEAN and ARAB/AFRICAN/FRENCH ,,the sad story is that in france most minority are treated miserably as 3rd class citizens , relegated in crappy almost landfill towns and put down with the worst cliche' stereotypes , it's only those who can help france win in sports that are respected , and france really needs help in football , if there was an all white/french blood team , it would probably be as good as albania I guess , Ribery being the best in there , and most of their historic white players were of italian descent (Platini,Cantona ,Ginola , Candela , Squillaci and more....) I bring up the ethnic discourse in here because the french don't admit/appreciate their multiethnic pride but keep talking about one country ,france without glorifying their foreign assimilated ethnic talents ,,,,,the french must say WE ARE PROUD OF OUR AFRICAN/FRENCH TEAM and nothing else ,,this is the only way they should talk about their team , and I'm sure everybody agrees on this forum .... and they would be liked more for saying that.........Right ??
the great african ancestry talent must be appreciated and aknowledged in any team....
While I'm irish and a fan I honestly dont think ireland are good enough to be in the finals,however having said that FIFA made changes to the European Play-offs this time round when some of the larger teams,namely France,Portugal and Russia were in danger of being drawn against each other, by implementing a seeding system for the playoffs preventing that possibility, given FIFA's reluctance to replay the Ireland/France second leg you have to wonder if there is any point in having qualifiers and playoffs if the smaller teams and weaker nations arent going to get a fair shot at qualification anyhow.
if you were french and you won the world cup, how would you feel knowing that you should no even be there in the first place. if i were the french president, i would demand a replay so that any victory France had would not be not tainted. Plus, if france were really in with a chance to win, they should have demolish a country like ireland over two legs.
Now TH will probably score the winning Goal againts england in the finals of south africa and it will be after Rooney got a dubious penalty as he always does
Such a shame they go to the world cup because of a cheat!
the only right thing that ,,LES BLEUS,, are doing is that their digging their own grave. BONJOUR ET BONNE NUIT.
adrianeaucaramba......my girlfreind never left me for a frenchman, she left the frenchman for me. and thats because she was tired of that frenchman`s armpits that you cauld smell from a mile away. and on top of that they are better handball players than being lovers.
72, gerry the difference being the English scored 4 times and won by 2 goals...the so-called dubious goal-which DID cross the line- did not influence the final result...unlike Henry's handball.
This is GREAT NEWS ! Whenever the french team is unloved by its public and critisized by the journalists we just get better and better........
Keep going like that and we stand a chance in this next world cup. This is BRILLIANT !
1998 - players and manager were critisized so much and we won it.
2006 - team was branded "old" and we almost won it.
Keep going like that guys.......i like it !
I agree wiyh Godwin, the English did not mind that they won the world cup despite being awarded a goal that did not cross the line. Really when you come to think of it the English and the French are alike in that aspect, we
ll according to Godwin.
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