i believe the match will be replayed

[roinuj]

fifa will buckle under the world wide pressure within the next few days and give the green light for a replay.
i believe they are just waiting for the french to give in first as the fff are under a hell of a lot of pressure from their own people.
the french people are very strong against it and dont want to be seen as getting to the world cup with the help of a cheat.
they even trew eggs at the fff head office today in paris.

its only a matter of days before fifa announce it.

watch this space.............................

[jmurphyc]

The worldwide pressure will slow down in a few days and it will be forgotten. There's not going to be a replay. It's time to move on.

[roinuj]

The worldwide pressure will slow down in a few days and it will be forgotten. There's not going to be a replay. It's time to move on.

the fair play flag that fifa have been roaring about the last few years will always keep this debate open.

[markmc]

I spoke to my brother in Aussieland today, this is a major news story there. FIFA is being show for what it is, a corrupt money grabbing organisation run by faceless gimps at the behest of sponsors.

[Billsthoughts]

I have a strong feeling french will offer to replay the game. Altho I think even if we won it us getting to the WC would then be somehow tarnished!

[Metrostars]

thirty-three teams!

[markmc]

The FFF have just released another statement, not a chance of them asking for a replay.

[Closed Account 2]

It's not going to happen, because (a) we are not Bahrain* and (b) it's a logistical nightmare, do you redo the match from the start ? same teams ? from the 103rd minute ? does Escude swap with Squlliaci, McShane with O'Shea ? just have a shoot out ?when is it played ? - there are too many questions of practicality that cant be answered...

* Bahrain vs Uzbekistan play off match for WC 2006 was replayed after a technical ref error - but that decision (to replay) had more to do with corruption in the AFC / FIFA and preference of a Middle Eastern country over a Central Asian one.

I think something needs to be done. The papers are banding around figures of £20 million in terms of economic loss, we'll never get back into the tournament but I would like to see FIFA pay some of that money to us to develop Irish football (maybe going to helping the league or building the stadium) - it will never make up for being cheated out of the World Cup but at least it would be something.

There should also be, from now on, some form of retrospective punishment for flagrant cheating, whereby a deliberate hand ball or deliberate dive that tricks the ref and affects the result of a game should result in a ban for the offender. I'm not saying it should happen to Henry now, but if FIFA are serious about fair play they need to change the rules from now on. Most of football's rules were written decades ago and the honesty in the game now isn't at the level it was when those rules were written.

[roinuj]

I have a strong feeling french will offer to replay the game. Altho I think even if we won it us getting to the WC would then be somehow tarnished!

not if we won in the proper manner.

[DeNiro]

As expected they would reject it. Why does it still not feel like it's over though? Can it all be swept under the carpet that easy? There are still two issues outstanding;

1) How is FIFA going to deal with the problem of cheating in future games?

2) Are they going to sanction Henry for admitting to unsporting behaviour?

If there's to be no replay - fine. But, don't let it happen again then.

[briancool21]

I think we were gettin a bit carried away here to be honest. It was something that happens all the time. Mistakes are part an parcel of football

[shakermaker1982]

FIFA couldn't give a flying ****. This will have all blown over by the weekend. It will be brought up again in the pre match build up to France-Algeria (their first WC group game) and will feature on Question of Sport in the 'what happened next?' round.

[SkStu]

i dont want a replay but i want something to make me feel like justice has been done... punishment for Henry or the referee and his team. Something, anything!

[DeNiro]

Yeh, some sort of justice would be welcome. A replay wouldn't necessarily sort out the problem. France-Algeria to be paired in the group games. Imagine the goings on in Marseille that night :eek:

[John2626]

There is no chance it will be replayed!! FIFA will do what they always do and let this just fade away.

[soccerboy]

not a chance of a replay...this kind of stuff happens all the time,it has only been magnified by the importance of the game and the fact that we were playing in it and cost us a penalty shoot out(not a place in the finals as everyone is shouting about)...granting a replay would open a huge can of worms for fifa in the future

[John2626]

not a chance of a replay...this kind of stuff happens all the time,it has only been magnified by the importance of the game and the fact that we were playing in it and cost us a penalty shoot out(not a place in the finals as everyone is shouting about)...granting a replay would open a huge can of worms for fifa in the future

Thats it exactly.
Lads.......................... C'est fini!!!

[elroy]

granting a replay would open a huge can of worms for fifa in the future

Granting a replay will never happen, such a precedent would be a disaster for FIFA.

The only hope was an offer of a replay by the FFF and FIFA may permit it on this basis. But with the FFF statement tonight, any hope is now gone imo.

[4tothefloor]

There will be no reply as there is no fair play in football. Chelsea were done last season in the semi of the CL and it was no coincidence that it prevented another all English final. You look at Drogba's reduced ban after his antics at the end of that game, and also the complete farce that ensued after Eduardo's blatant dive against Celtic and it's pretty easy to see that both UEFA and FIFA are corrupt and clearly exert influence when it comes to the big boys. The FIFA/UEFA fair play charter and pre-game posturing is a load of nonsense and an insult to peoples intelligence.

What should happen here is that FIFA ban Henry for bringing the game in to disrepute. The ban should be 3/4 games and ensure that he misses at least part of the World Cup. There is no excuse NOT to ban Henry. They should also bring in a video ref to the sport, saying it will stop/start the game is a load of bulls**t and hyperbole.

In terms of a replay, there's nothing in the rules to state we're entitled to one but if the game had any integrity at all the FFF would offer one. But the game doesn't have any integrity, so the FFF won't offer it. Football needs to grow up, get with the times and stamp cheating out of the game. The game is turning in to a cheaters paradise.

[lopez]

FAI going to appeal after Henry's outburst, according to Marca.

http://www.marca.com/2009/11/20/futbol/mundial_2010/1258746088.html

[tricky_colour]

The worldwide pressure will slow down in a few days and it will be forgotten. There's not going to be a replay. It's time to move on.


It won't be forgotten at the world cup when France are playing I am sure there will be a lot of comments about whether the French team should be their.

If the boot was on the other foot and Ireland got through their through similar cheating I would not feel happy about it, because there would always be the thought that we had to cheat to get there.

[ArdeeBhoy]

There won't be a replay, but still every reason to slate the FFF & FIFA who are even worse....

[tricky_colour]

I think FIFA have to be careful, it is the teams that make the tournement and they do not, if they choose not to, have to play for a corrupt organnisation.

The majority of the teams do onot benefit from having a corrupt draw rigging organisation running the tournement, so they could easilly set up thier own tournement and that would effectively put and end to FIFA, any team staying with FIFA would have no credibility.

[tricky_colour]

I think we should remember the French are a proud and decent peeple and many of them will find it unacceptable that they qualified in this manner.

So if the French say they want a replay too to avoid the embarassment and humilation of having qualified via cheating then that puts FIFA in an impossible position regarding
not having a replay.

Wenger and the French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde have called for a replay and I am sure a lot of other French people would like to see that to.

So perhaps to the decency of the French rather than the corruption of FIFA?

After all even if France won the cup it would be a hollow and shameful victory.

[Murfinator]

It's been shown throughout mankind that consistent unfairness is always tolerated more than inconsistent fairness.

[elroy]

Lads, the French captain, past French players, a significant portion of the French public, Arsene Wenger and so on have all called for a replay today, yet this evening the FFF still said no, the game is up now im afraid.