Following your logic, if someone gets away with a crime, it's not their fault for committing it...it's the police's fault for not catching them.

There's a thing called integrity and Henry's lack of it will stain his reputation and career and anything the French team does for the rest of this season.

@Zivo24 - actually - you are more accurate in your statement than you realize.

In the US - you are innocent until proven guilty. It is the person prosecuting you to prove your guilt - it is not your responsibility to dis-prove your guilt. Of course you can prove your innocence - but its not the responsibility of the accused.

That being said - I agree that they don't deserve the win. But, again, going back to your analogy - I agree that probably OJ Simpson was guilty - but he was found not-guilty by a jury of his peers. And, in the US - that is justice. It may not be the outcome that I like - but at the end of the day - someone had to make the call. Someone won. Someone lost. And it sucks.

zivo24, you are absolutely correct in your analogy.

I don't buy the argument that cheating happens all the time and refs don't call it and it is part of sports, so deal with it.

If someone cheats in a horse race by doping the horse and it is discovered later, the horse is disqualified and it goes to the second place horse. If a runner takes a short cut during a marathon and it is discovered later, they are disqualified and the win goes to the runner up.

In fact, I can't think of any individual sport or competition where cheating is considered part of the game if you are caught after the fact. The exception seems to be for team sports which is completely irrational. Cheating either has a place in sports or it does not. Claiming it is part of the game cheapens the entire effort and encourages repeated attempts at benefiting from cheating in the hope the referees won't see it.

These guys are "professionals" who do this for a living. There is no question that it was deliberate cheating, especially since he did it twice. Rewarding deliberate cheating by allowing France to keep the win and sending them on their way is simply wrong, mainly because it condones cheating.

There is so much money riding on these events, and so much at stake, it seems silly to me to complain about using instant replay to settle questionable calls. I would rather have a fair game and get myself another beer while I'm waiting for the decision than know that a team won because they cheated and no one cared enough to do something about it.

Justathought would you go back and disqualify every single NBA game last year because they all walk with the ball and don't get charged with traveling? For whatever reason soccer does not choose to use instant replay--they may state it's the tradition of the game though I highly doubt it's because they want the games over more quickly. The managers don't have the option of tossing a red flag on the field if they disagree with a call (or a non-call.) What happens happens. You're assuming they wouldn't have somehow gotten possesion of the ball back and scored in some other fashion. You're assuming as well that every call during the game up to that point was accurate and that no call was missed. I don't think most fans of any sports would say at the end of any game that every call was perfect and no calls were missed. I also don't think that acknowledging rules infractions exist "cheapens" the game. Every time the players jostle together and someone doesn't flop to pull the foul there was at least the potential to have been a foul. Does that make every physical player a cheater? I'm actually surprised he actually admitted the foul and didn't try to just play it off as incidental contact.

Doping is a completely different form of illegal competition and does not hold comparison here. In most sports if a player is found to be doping they're kicked out entirely or at least suspended.

A travelling violation is very unlikely to change the outcome of a basketball game. It's also not as blatant a violation as handling the ball in soccer - where the only player allowed to touch the ball with their hands is the goalie.

Henry's handing of the ball, not once but twice, did directly affect his ability to set up the goal and impact the outcome of the came.

He would not have been able to keep the ball from going out of bounds if he had not handed it nor would he have then been able to direct it to his teammate for the assist on the goal.

A traveling violation was a bad comparison. This is more comparable to a botched pass intereference call that results in an interception for the defending team.

Now imagine that the missed call occured in overtime in the playoffs and you'll have some grasp of why the Irish and honest soccer fans are so pissed.

I couldn't have stated it better zivo24. Comparing traveling in basketball to a hand ball in soccer is totally ridiculous. It only shows someones lack of knowledge about the sport. What I find totally incredible is the governing body's lack of guts to make a call about the incident. I wonder if France's opponents in Africa will be afforded a hand ball when they play the French.

The ref should be banned from any further world cup games. Only someone who is either blind or one sided for the French would have let that goal stand! It's to the point now that I don't care if I see another world cup match until 2014. Then maybe games will be decided by more honest refs.

Zivo you are right. I was a keeper in Germany in the 80's. Hand balls stick out like a sore thumb, specifically because it is a play at the ball. The filthy stuff happens away from the ball. It also is pretty common.

As far as Basketball, it is not even close to the gymnasium game of the 1960's and the rule book, but a lot more like street ball. I think that really started with Dr. J flying down the lane with a jam.

As far as cheating being more of a team sport thing, I'd say it is a function of coaching. Leadership and intolerance for it keeps the drive to win within the bounds of civility. Mind you that in some of these sports, Rugby, American Rules Football, etc. professionals are paid to perform controlled violence. In American Football I'd bet that Roids+++ are common in every locker room.

Coaching. It is what is making baseball credible again. (My opinion)

Ruthless play happens in all sport.

Part of the game is to ignore the rules when it can win you the game and intentionally use your hand to keep the ball in play so you can score? ok, then...

Sorry, it isn't just a ref fault...it's Henri's fault because he intentionally used his hand. He should pay, not the refs

If you've ever been any good at a sport, you know that cheating (i.e. handballs, holding jerseys, tripping) happens on a regular basis.  It's the referee's responsibility to catch it.  If they don't, PLAY ON.  Referees blow calls EVERY SINGLE DAY IN THE WORLD.  That is part of sports.  The referees are part of the game.  They did a piss poor job and this event is good reason to implement instant replay in soccer.  France does not owe it to anyone to forfeit their win.  You people are ridiculous, and I guarantee 90% that voted Yes have never played a sport competitively. 

The phrasing of the Newsvine question was poor. France shouldn't voluntarily forfeit their win, and FIFA shouldn't find any sort of deliberate corruption of the game that would cause them to award the win to Ireland. Either of those two outcomes are fairly obvious readings of the question.

On the other hand, the result really should nullified, and the game should be played again. FIFA is responsible for the integrity of the sport. They are the Überofficials, and it's their call to make. Replaying the game would not be unprecedented. (In 2005, the Bureau of the Fifa World Cup organising committee reached a decision to invalidate the result of a World Cup qualification match between Uzbekistan and Bahrain on the basis of a ‘technical error by the referee of the match.)

But nullifying the result would definitely shift FIFA's role in the sport. Perhaps for the better, perhaps not. Should FIFA take such a drastic step? They won't, but I tend to think they should, although I could go either way.

What is clear, though, is that FIFA should set up rules that permit a fourth official to review video evidence. It's embarrassing that they haven't already done so. This was easily correctable when the blatant officiating error occurred. It's still correctable, but at a significant cost.

I think it would set a nasty precident to have FIFA changing the outcome of the game after the fact for a simple foul. You will have researchers for every team that has lost filing appeals using archived footage from matches showing players holding jerseys and not contacting the ball first in a tackle, all of them looking for a rematch or an overturn of the match. This foul happened a few moments before the deciding goal, but would you set a time limit? Would it be like 30 seconds before a goal? or 10 minutes? Or just if the argument is that any uncalled foul is a blight on the honor of soccer would you have to replay the game if video reviewal found ANY missed infractions??

TO tresorier

Buddy u are damn wrong. I don't think France should forfeit the game but at least the game should be replayed and by that I mean extra time only. That was obvious handling of the ball no doubt about that and I think it is ref fault and it is on Henry's soul and his reputation. U also said that the opposite side (Irish) score since they played home? Do u even know where the game was played? The Irish were away team so please have more information to make such comments. On other hand some people here pointed out that it is simple foul or infringement of the rules. I agree but it changed the outcome of WC qualifier it was not some third league game or EVEN SERBIAN LEAGUE GAME (since it sucks). Platini said he is against video replays in football and that we should play Sony PlayStation if we want replays well that is just stupid comment. Just one small reminder for all of u THE REPLAY OF ZINEDINE ZIDANE HITTING MATERAZZI WAS SEEN BY REFS AND THAN HE RECEIVED RED CARD. The point is Henry should be banned for at least 2 matches on WC and that should be punishment for cheating refs get suspension for at least 1 year referring in the International games. End of discussion everybody happy except Irish side but well @!$%# happens. Don't get me wrong i was cheering for Irish side. Hope to see French on WC to play against Serbia to revenge Irish and win over them like against Romania 5:0. Cheers all.

And ruin the game further? I do not agree. Even with American football, the pauses in play have become a nuisance.

Play the game and live with the results (and the public backlash)

You are very naive to world of sports. Not bad thing. It's kind of refreshing for someone to expect that a player would go to the ref and say "No, don't count that goal. I used my hand." Silly, but kind of refreshing.

I agree barrgg, cnjbb probably thinks that in the lofty NFL the person who comes out of the pile with the ball was actually the one who rightfully fell on the fumble. And they say innocence is dead in this day and age!

World cup quarter final.

Thank you! Someone's being realistic here.

Nope. Entirely the fault of Henri and then the refs. Yes, the ref made a bad call, but Henri made a very bad decision to intentionally reach his hand out and stop the ball to keep it in play. Sorry, there would be no bad call if Henri had decided to play by the rules.

Hey Aron before you comment on how American(real) Football rules work you should probably research it a little more instead of ESPN highlights you jackass! You only get to 2 challenges of instant replay reveiws per team per game. If you win both challenges you receive one more, if you lose the challenges then it cost the team a timeout. Hence, if you don't have any timeouts then you can't challenge the call. Also within the last two minutes of the game if there is a questionable call there is an automatic reveiw from the referee both not from the coaches. Over and over it has proven to work so that certain officails can't be bribed for the outcome of the game as in your so called real football. Just goes to figure when an un-educated jackass opens his mouth and spits out diarrhea, yeah it smells like French @!$%#.

Though I do not share Nymkosis's enthusiam for base references, I will say that Aaron is being a bit to uneaven in the comparison. Over and over again in soccer matches a player who is knocked (or just seems to fall of their own accord) to the ground grimmaces and clutches their knee, regardless of what body part was actually impacted in the collsion. They roll around and keep glancing at the ref waiting for a foul to be called. Last world cup I actually heard the announcers criticize a player who had actually been injured because he dragged himself off the field--they said he should have stayed on the field to stop the game and give his players a rest.

So don't get too preachy about reasons play stops. Sure in American football the kickers and the QB will flop, but darn near every position in soccer seems to have no qualms doing so.

I think it'll go exactly the opposite, and we'll see more players try to cheat. At least for a while.

and next time you'll start a revolution don't beg the french to help you become a country....

Ironic Nymkosis thinks France is second class when clearly he/she has none, and a big Kelso "BURN!" for Ruth.

alas the few French who fought in in the American Revolution were much appreciated and are well recognized in our history. The few. Just as many Americans fought in WWI for the French before we joined the war. There have always been a few heroes. Trying to compare the losses of the revolution to WWII is moronic but typical for the French. In terms of lives lost, dollars spent, historic impact there is no comparison. The French have never been a player on the world stage and never will be because they constantly hide from accepting world class responsibilities. But they do love doing business with terrorist states. They excel at that.

It would be less fun to watch if they did that.

I'll take a periodic scandal like this over that any time.

seems to me you are the superior one. Even the PLAYERS recognized he made a mistake, even the FRENCH people say they don't deserve to win. so STOP @!$%#ing about the French. Did you mam left with a French guy?

Cheating (which he admitted to) is not the same thing as "a mistake."

So we're back to "freedom fries" again?  Sorry, but that didn't go over the first time around.  Just because France cheats at soccer doesn't mean I'm going to stop eating french fries (which actually may be a Belgian invention anyway) or brie, or drinking champagne.  And they make great bread, too.  But since you want to stay away from things French, don't visit Washington DC (originally designed by L'Enfant), and stay away from the Statue of Liberty (designed by a French sculptor and built by the same French company responsible for the Eiffel Tower).  There's probably a few other things "American" that could make that list, too (ever been to New Orleans?).  In for a penny, in for a pound, so you might want to check things out before you go cherry picking what "French" things to avoid. Just saying.

That said, they cheated.  They don't deserve the win or the spot.  When I was last in France, had an interesting discussion with a French native about honor and how important it is to the French.  So honor up, guys, and forfeit.