The Irish Justice Minister demanded a rematch today after a blatant Thierry Henry handball put France into the finals of the World Cup.
Dermot Ahern, a passionate football fan, called for the sport's world governing body, Fifa, to be called to account in the interests of fair play.
"They probably won’t grant it as we are minnows in world football but let’s put them on the spot," said Mr Ahern, the former Irish foreign minister.
"It’s the least we owe the thousands of devastated young fans around the country. Otherwise, if that result remains, it reinforces the view that if you cheat, you will win."
England yesterday suffered at the hands of the best player in the world
Irish protests continued long after the final whistle at the Stade de France in Paris, where a 1-1 draw saw the Republic of Ireland lose 2-1 on aggregate despite having been the better side over the two-leg play-off.
As he left the pitch, Henry freely admitted to having handled the ball before hooking it back across the goalmouth to be headed in by William Gallas, his former Arsenal team-mate.
The Barcelona striker insisted, however, that the handball had not been intentional and even claimed to have told the referee about his breach of the rules. "He said to me the same: 'You are not the ref'," he told reporters.
Mr Ahern said the match officials had also missed a clear offside in the run-up to the winning goal.
"Thierry Henry has admitted handling the ball and claims he told the ref he handled it," the minister said. "Millions of people worldwide saw it was a blatant double handball – not to mention a double offside – and we should put the powers that be in the cosy world of Fifa on the spot and demand a replay."
In Zurich, a Fifa spokesman dismissed the chances of a replay, pointing out that under the rule of the game the referee's decisions are final – including the score of the game.
Giovanni Trapattoni, Ireland's Italian coach, refused to get dragged into the controversy, saying that the goal spoke for itself. But his assistant, Liam Brady, backed calls for a replay.
"For the dignity and integrity of football, we will go to France and play again," he said. "Sepp Blatter [the Fifa president] goes on about fair play - let him reflect on what happened last night. Where is football going if a team is cheated out of fair play? Where are we going if this decision stands?"
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