Robbie Keane releases a statement

[onenilgameover]

On behalf of the Republic of Ireland players, I would like to thank Thierry Henry for his statement this afternoon (Friday) that in his opinion a replay would be the fairest option.


As captain of the French team, to make such a statement took courage and honour, and all of us recognise that. As captain of the Republic of Ireland team, I would also be happy for a replay to happen in the interest of fair play so that whichever team qualifies, can do so with their heads held high. We can only hope that the French Football Federation might accept the wishes of both captains in the best interests of the game.


This could have legs.

[Stuttgart88]

Oh no, not another two legger.

[onenilgameover]

Oh no, not another two legger.

Ha ha..nah.. heart and fixture list would not allow it.

[Junior]

Ha ha..nah.. heart and fixture list would not allow it.

the credit card, the marriage, the boss, there is a whole host of things that couldnt take it:D

[SkStu]

despite the fact that i think we need to move on, i gotta say - well played Robbie :D

[NeilMcD]

Yeah statement is spot on, although I do not think we will get a replay but its well drafted statement I must say.

[Greenbod]

It still won't happen..........but that's a really clever move by Robbie..making it seem like a joint campaign by both captains..

[Greenbod]

This could have legs.

As long as no other limbs are involved!

[Murfinator]

Well chosen words, puts the pressure on the French FA

[Emmet7]

It still won't happen..........but that's a really clever move by Robbie..making it seem like a joint campaign by both captains..

It will happen...Believe!

[Greenbod]

It will happen...Believe!


God bless your....Im guessing here;) youthful optimism

[Fr Damo]

I think the more legs it grows the better. Good little statement from Robbie. F the knockers and put weight behind it.

99% of Ireland, 88% of the french it seems, most of Europe, even the Brits feel we have been hard done by. It just might work. Impossible is nothing ...... if the will is there.

[LFCSixty/Eighty]

It will happen...Believe!

Exactly Emmet. If enough respected French people come out and say that it should be replayed they may just bow to public pressure. You just never know.

[Noelys Guitar]

Excellent move from Mr Keane. Kept to the point and puts pressure on the FFF. And the longer FIFA drag their feet on handing out any punishments the better for our albeit slim, slim chances of any replay.

[youngirish]

Wouldn't a replay set the score to 1-0 again to the French and mean we have a very difficult mountain to climb all over again even though the goal ruined our chances when we already had climbed that mountain?

I accept that's better than no hope at all but we would need another immense Irish performance.

[Billsthoughts]

we would need another immense Irish performance.

I think thats the main reason I would want to see a replay. would love to see if this Ireland team has grown in confidance after the game on wednesday. Could they put back to back performances in? I think thats a big frustration of getting knocked out. will momentum be lost come Winter 2010.:(

[Den Perry]

I think thats the main reason I would want to see a replay. would love to see if this Ireland team has grown in confidance after the game on wednesday. Could they put back to back performances in? I think thats a big frustration of getting knocked out. will momentum be lost come Winter 2010.:(

I think it would be a one off match at 0-0 like Leeds / Stuttgart play-off in 1992

[irishultra]

I think the more legs it grows the better. Good little statement from Robbie. F the knockers and put weight behind it.

99% of Ireland, 88% of the french it seems, most of Europe, even the Brits feel we have been hard done by. It just might work. Impossible is nothing ...... if the will is there.

LOL 'even the brits' they're the most likely to give a **** but by tommorow when their clubs are back playing they will have forgot all about it. The faith of the Irish international team is not on the top list of priorities for 99.99 of the football fans worldwide.

after this weekend when leagues around europe are back the incident will be forgotten and football fans will be grateful that henry ribery and co will be playing on the grandest stage of them all

[SkStu]

this story was featured again on Canadian news and radio today. Also subject of heated debate on the score network.

Like it or not lads, this is a major story and it is more than just the Irish who are disgusted..

[Billsthoughts]

The faith of the Irish international team is not on the top list of priorities for 99.99 of the football fans worldwide.


not since kernaghan retired anyways.....

[geysir]

Robbie could have replied appreciating Henry's fine sentiments and requested all vilification of this player to cease and that it's time to draw a line, move on and wish France and their supporters well in SA.

And offer to take them on in a friendly just before they leave for SA.

[jmurphyc]

LOL 'even the brits' they're the most likely to give a **** but by tommorow when their clubs are back playing they will have forgot all about it. The faith of the Irish international team is not on the top list of priorities for 99.99 of the football fans worldwide.


Precisely. I could be mistaken, but I'd say a lot of the outrage in the UK is from the full scale media coverage, particularly from Sky. The only reason this is happening is because they need a big story to keep viewing figures up whilst there's no football, and so they can flash their "Breaking News" icon with a 'major' story. As soon as club football restarts there'll be plenty more and our plight will be out of the news.

[Stuttgart88]

Robbie could have replied appreciating Henry's fine sentiments and requested all vilification of this player to cease and that it's time to draw a line, move on and wish France and their supporters well in SA.

And offer to take them on in a friendly just before they leave for SA.That'd be an idea.

Or as Dara O'Briain suggested last night, a penalty shoot out in Hackney Marsh, or make France play in green is Sth Africa.

[Greenbod]

not since kernaghan retired anyways.....


Nice one!......thanks for that.

[tetsujin1979]

That'd be an idea.

Or as Dara O'Briain suggested last night, a penalty shoot out in Hackney Marsh, or make France play in green is Sth Africa.

Dara's column in the Guardian makes for interesting reading: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/nov/20/thierry-henry-handball-france-ireland

[corkboy360]

He never apologised for his own cheating during the game:confused:

[EastTerracer]

He never apologised for his own cheating during the game:confused:

Grow up FFS.

[corkboy360]

Grow up FFS.
Grow up ?
Did you not see his dive ? it was embarrasing.
The people that need to grow up are the ones asking for a replay and wanting to protest.
What about Maradonna's hand of God ? Was that game replayed?

[galwayjames]

What about Maradonna's hand of God ? Was that game replayed?

In fairness that was during a World Cup and there was no time to replay it. Btw Maradona scored again after it and they won 2-0 so it didn't directly affect the result.

[EastTerracer]

Grow up ?
Did you not see his dive ? it was embarrasing.
The people that need to grow up are the ones asking for a replay and wanting to protest.
What about Maradonna's hand of God ? Was that game replayed?


I'm not looking for a replay and I'm not protesting outside an embassy. I was at the game and was proud of the way our team played. Robbie Keane was amongst the best of them on the night and no I was not embarrased by him. If you want to criticise him, go right ahead, but it marks you out as a sad pathetic individual.

[Emmet7]

It's not just Irish people who are asking for a replay. 70% of respondents in a SKy News poll as well as a French Newspaper think there should be a replay. Most French people think there should be a replay.

Their reason? As with Irish people, in the interests of fair play. Sport by definition is not sport if it's not about fair play.

The whole ethos of sport is competitors competing to the same rules.

It's actually more pathetic and sad when people don't seek to uphold the sporting ethos. It demonstrates that people aren't truely interested in sport.

At the end of the day, what we say on Wednesday night was Brand France versus Brand Ireland, and Brand France is much more lucrative to FIFA and the WC than Brand Ireland. Sport played a back seat to it all.

[Jicked]

Well done robbie, a very proper statement, i'm very proud to have him as our captain. Now that he's repeatedly scored in huge games for us the fools who used to laughably say that he should be dropped are really running out of excuses.

How he can thank henry just shows what a true sportsman robbie is. Me? I'd question henry saying a replay would be fair, after fifa and the french federation say otherwise. So clearly someone desperate to hang on to their lucrative media image as the good guy. That robbie can focus on football and not stoop to mentioning it is a measure of the man.

Meanwhile it also invalidater the point of many that we'd all do it if we could get away with it. Maybe. But i don't think many of us would react so spinelessly as thierry (celebrating the goal, pretending to console irish players, saying it wasn't deliberate, and now 2 days later finally saying we should have their place and a replay ordered after he makes sure there,s no chance of that actualy happening.)

Robbie cares about a world cup and football.
Their captain cares about his image, sponsorship contracts and the media, right down to every pathetic last uber cool goal celebration.

[mark12345]

[QUOTE=irishultra;1278876]LOL 'even the brits' they're the most likely to give a **** but by tommorow when their clubs are back playing they will have forgot all about it.


You've got a wharped mentality. If you stopped for a second you'd realize that the vast majority of British people are supportive of Ireland in their current plight. They have been very complimentary of our situation, at least any that I've read in the media, but you want to have a go at them? Makes no sense.

[Iano]

Very well put by Robbie, can't see FIFA changing their stance, so frustrating that their response is so cold with a dismissive website post, there should be at the very least repurcusions for Henry from FIFA/ FFF for shaming the game.

[corkboy360]

I'm not looking for a replay and I'm not protesting outside an embassy. I was at the game and was proud of the way our team played. Robbie Keane was amongst the best of them on the night and no I was not embarrased by him. If you want to criticise him, go right ahead, but it marks you out as a sad pathetic individual.
So you encourage diving ?

[shakermaker1982]

Why don't Ireland just gatecrash the WC next year? Imagine the squad rolling up for France's first game?!

[Stuttgart88]

In fairness that was during a World Cup and there was no time to replay it. Btw Maradona scored again after it and they won 2-0 so it didn't directly affect the result.Lineker scored to make it 2-1, no?

[NeilMcD]

yeah thats right game finished 2-1

[DonnyG]

smart move by Robbie but there is zero hope of a replay - we just have to get used to this fact