The biggest Gallic shrug
Two weeks ago, I blogged about the hand of Henry and the issues raised around the ‘win at all costs’ attitude of some sportsmen. Today Gerard Houllier, a manager with experience of club and international management, said that he did not believe that Thierry Henry should be punished for the incident. He said ‘Thierry Henry did not cheat’ and added ‘It was the referee’s error’.
Now Houllier was Aimé Jacquet’s assistant in France’s 1998 World Cup winning team. He was far less successful when he became the manager between 1992-93, when France failed to qualify for the finals in the USA. Maybe he has sympathy for current manager Raymond Domenech, who has been under severe pressure at home, in similar circumstances to Houllier 16 years ago. Whatever the case, he was wrong.
Whatever happened to personal responsibility? Can I walk into a shop and steal something, blaming the shopkeeper for not securing his goods or the police for not catching me? Henry may have shown a little va-va-voom in putting France through to the World Cup Finals, but his handball was clearly an illegal move. Face it Titi and your defenders: you cheated and it was nobody’s fault but your own.
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