Gerard Houllier [who was once the director for the French National Football [Soccer] Team and the Liverpool FC] defended the hadnball of Thierry Henry. He further stated that Henry is «not a cheat» and that he «acted on instinct».
Mr. Houllier made his statements in response to a meeting of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee on the 2nd of December 2009. There is the possibility that FIFA may ban Henry for a long time even though there are people who state that Henry is honest. It remains to be seen what will transpire in this case.
The Republic of Ireland wanted FIFA to include it as a 33rd player for the 2010 World Cup. FIFA rejected the request by saying that it «would set an example for other countries» and that the World Cup would be played by «32 countries».
In fact, FIFA President Sepp Blatter talked about the Irish request and the public laughed at the proposal. The response by the Assistant Coach of the Irish Team Liam Brady is angry at the way Sepp Blatter treated the Irish request and accused him of being a «loose cannon» and an «embarassment».
While FIFA should rule on Henry and has stood firm about the 32 teams for the 2010 World Cup, its President had no right to ridicule a request by a national team. While FIFA should continue its rulings with regards to the 2010 World Cup, it should apologize to the Republic of Ireland National Football [Soccer] Team for subjecting it to public ridicule.
El Noticiero de Alvarez Galloso 